Smile for the Camera!
by iamconstantine
Summary: Kosuke Nakahara honestly had no idea what she was going to do with her life. She had no idea how her career as a photographer would come to be, how her college years would play out - her future was a mystery. But she had heard before that blessings sometimes come in strange forms...including a host club. Well, here's hoping, right?-Kaoru/OC/Hikaru, Kyoya/OC, Mori/OC (Revamp of ATM)
1. Raindrops P1

Well. This is it.

Not was she was expecting.

It was much...PINKER than she was expecting.

"Not that it looks bad," Kosuke thinks to herself. Well, SAYS to herself - she has the bad habit of saying her thoughts aloud. "Just different."

It really doesn't look bad at all - courtesy of being the most prestigious school in Japan. The entire campus wouldn't look out of place in the Victorian era, part for the pink spectrum of colors. A gargantuan brick clock tower here, fountains with marble statues of cherubs there. Most of the buildings have tall marble pillars supporting their roofs. Everything is lined in either gold or exquisitely carved and painted designs. Not to mention it was probably the cleanest place she'd ever been around - her face is reflecting on practically every surface. All things considered, this is a photographer's paradise, with images to take at every angle in every lighting.

She probably looks stupid. Standing in front of the infamous Ouran University by herself, staring up at it with her neck craned as if she's some awestruck child at the candy store. She's honestly surprised that some form of a security guard hadn't come out to shoo her away yet.

Oh, and it's raining. Hard. Water drops the size of bullets are coming down at all angles. Her dyed red hair is a wet mess, and her dress, the color of which she could only describe as 'muddy pink', was now looking just plain muddy. It was hanging off of her in some places and clinging in others like a wet rag.

So yeah, a single teenage girl is in the middle of the Ouran courtyard in the pouring rain. That doesn't look weird at all.

What is she doing here again? Nothing. Yeah, really, nothing. She saw the gate was open and walked in for some unknown reason. Not to go inside, either, despite the fact that the windows are all lit and there are figures passing by. She supposed she just wanted a look at the infamous academy, the one that students at school talked about as if it were an urban legend. Emphasis on the 'legend' part - the buildings are NOT tall enough to dwarf skyscrapers, something that she feels inclined to inform her classmates about.

She needs to get home, really. Her mother is probably worried sick, her aunt is probably furious, and her stepfather probably worriedly furious. She'll admit it: this was a stupid idea. A REALLY stupid idea. She's in an unfamiliar city, by herself, in the pouring rain, with no cellphone.

Kosuke Nakahara: Contender for the Nobel Prize.

So she goes home. She turns away from Ouran Academy and runs to the nearest gas station. She pulls out the few coins she has in her pocket and puts them into a payphone. She calls her mother, waits for her to stop her spiel of 'where are you/I was so worried/do you have any idea', and tells her where she is. The limousine comes to pick her up, and she is taken back home. She explains to her stepfather and her mother what happened. Then she gets ready for bed, bids her family goodnight, and tucks herself in. She goes back to school on Monday, goes all the way to exams, summer vacation comes, life goes on.

Maybe that's what would have happened.

In the one second that she turned her back on Ouran, her loafers squishing wet with every step, fate decides to play a wild card.

For the first time since she'd come to the campus, the door to the building before her opens wide, and yellow light spills into the gray wet world outside. At first, she just starts walking faster out of embarrassment. Just a girl by herself in the rain, folks. Nothing to see here.

But she stops when the person who opens the door calls out something. She stops when she realizes that they aren't coming out, they're opening the door so they can talk to her.

She stops when she realizes that she was so distracted that she didn't catch a word they just said. "What?"

The silhouetted figure removes their hands from the doors and approaches. Out of the bright light, Kosuke can tell that it's actually a rather tall boy, maybe a year or two older than her. He has messy (albeit somehow at the same time perfectly neat) hair the color of pale gold, and his eyes are an indigo color that she'd never seen before. Even with his brows furrowed and his lips pulled into a worried frown, he's beautiful. For some reason, Kosuke is given the image of a dashing fairy-tale prince.

He's also walking straight toward her, despite the pouring rain. He stops some three feet away from her and looks her up and down. It's not a judging look, however. It's a concerned one, full of worry. He repeats what he had said before. "I asked you what you're doing out here by yourself."

"Oh, I..." Kosuke waves a hand at no direction in particular. You know, to look like even more of an idiot. "I was just...passing by and I..." She stops and just continues to wave her hand at nothing.

"Come inside," he says when she doesn't continue speaking. He moves forward to stand beside her.

"What? Oh, no, no, no, no, no, I - "

He hovers his arm around her waist, just close enough not to be invading but enough to make it clear that he wasn't going to let her walk away.

"Come on. Let's get you inside."

The only sound she can make is a sort of wavering groan, but no protest. Her feet start moving forward, and he walks beside her, into Ouran Academy. She wonders if the rumors are true and the floors are actually made of solid gold.

* * *

 **Hoo boy...Well, here we go.**

 **Sorry again that this took so long to get to. I can't schedule to save my life. I'm not sure how often chapters will come, but I'll work to it as fast as I can! And thanks to everyone who decided to stick around ;)**

 **\- iamconstantine**


	2. Raindrops P2

Okay, so no, the floors are not made out of solid gold.

That doesn't make the interior of Ouran any less extravagant. Just like the outside, everything is lavish and polished and perfectly designed. Crystalline chandeliers hang from the ceiling, and velveteen curtains without a single speck of dust are pulled from the windows. Everything seems so exaggerated, with wide hallways and tall ceilings. Kosuke can't be sure, but she feels that the building she's being led through is supposed to be the main building of the University.

The building is also fairly full of people—mostly teenagers and their parents—and Kosuke's soaking wet and bedraggled appearance isn't earning her favorable looks. Nor is the constant squeaking of her loafers. To be fair, it wasn't like Kosuke had simply been caught in the rain and thus only lightly sprinkled on. It was like she had just taken a half-hour shower with her clothes on.

All the while, the blonde boy stays by her side, his arm always hovering around her waist. He politely greets the passerby with friendly greetings and charming smiles.

At some point, he waves an arm in the air, calling out an unfamiliar name. "Haruhi! Haruhi!"

It takes Kosuke a moment to see who he's calling to. It's a girl, a bit shorter than Kosuke, with chocolate brown hair as short as her ears. Her large round eyes are the same color. She's wearing dark dress pants and a close-fitting dress shirt, yet somehow manages to still look completely feminine despite her attire. She dismisses herself from talking to a girl and her mother to come meet them halfway.

When they do meet, the boy keeps his arm by Kosuke's waist and uses his other hand to gesture to the girl standing before them. "This is my girlfriend, Haruhi Fujioka. No need to be scared, my girlfriend is the most delightful person you'll ever meet. Isn't that right, Haruhi?"

Haruhi sighs at the boy's overabundant introduction, but nevertheless smiles politely at Kosuke and extends a hand to her. "Nice to meet you."

Kosuke shakes her hand, and the boy leans into her ear to whisper, "She's my girlfriend."

Haruhi gives him a blank glower, but there's no malice to it. As a matter of fact, a little smile twitches at the corners of her mouth. "Is there something you needed?"

"Oh, right." The boy gestures to Kosuke. "Do you think you could help her dry off a bit?"

It seems that Haruhi only then realizes Kosuke's absolutely soaked appearance. But not because she's standing right in front of her, but because apparently, Kosuke's dress has been leaving a trail of water droplets behind her. There are several screams, and the sound of shattering glass as one of the waiters carrying a platter of glasses slips on a puddle and goes sailing. Kosuke can't bring herself to turn around and just stands completely immobile.

Haruhi blinks once, then twice, and then leads her away by the hand.

* * *

Once in the bathroom, Kosuke dries off her hair as best as she can with some towels, subsequently leaving behind a red rat's nest. She rings out her dress, too, but that just leaves it damp and crumpled. Haruhi is kind enough to wipe off the bottom of her loafers to stop the constant squeaking.

They finally make it back out, and the blonde boy is now talking to another boy. He's dressed similarly in a blazer and dress shirt, but that's where their similarities stop. Whereas the blonde boy has relatively delicate features, the other boy looks...sharp. That's the only way Kosuke can describe him. Jet black hair is combed neatly away from his face, and piercing gray eyes are almost hidden behind ovular glasses.

Whatever the two are talking about, it includes the raven writing something down in a notebook while the blond jumps to and fro with flamboyant hand gestures. When he sees Haruhi and Kosuke approaching, he freezes (somehow in midair, much to Kosuke's awe) and approaches them with a friendly smile.

"There you two are," he says.

The raven leans around him to say, "The waiter is fine, by the way." He turns back to his notebook. "The glasses and Pinot Noir sent in straight from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, not so much."

Before Kosuke can reply, the blond makes an "oh!" sound and laughs. "I can't believe I forgot to introduce myself!" He sticks out a hand to Kosuke, so quickly that he almost jabs her in the belly. She flinches back on instinct. "Tamaki Suoh, pleasure to meet your acquaintance." He chuckles, and it's light but also very proud. With one hand still shaking hers, he brushes his bangs from his face. "I'm sure the feeling is mutual."

Kosuke glances sideways at Haruhi. She nods, as if to say "Yes, he's being for real."

"This –" Tamaki gestures behind him. "—Is Kyoya Ootori. He's also happy to meet you."

Kyoya gives a scoff of a chuckle.

"That's his way of saying 'Yes.'" Tamaki's grin returns to his face. "I also never asked for your name."

He's _still_ shaking her hand.

"Kosuke Nakahara. Thank you and sorry."

"It wasn't a problem." The warm smile on Tamaki's face drops into the same concerned frown he had worn before. "But I hope you don't mind me asking what you were out there for."

"Well—"

"Tama-chan!"

Kosuke's response is cut off when someone else approaches them. It's a child, about as tall as her chest, with honey-colored locks of hair and big brown eyes that remind her of a stuffed animal.

"What is it?" asks Tamaki when the boy comes to them.

"We ran out of German chocolate cake." The boy holds up a small China plate and a silver fork in his hands. There's a slice of moist cake on top, rich brown and topped with curled shavings of chocolate. "This is the last piece." The boy pauses and looks down at his hands. "...Maybe I shouldn't have taken this from the table, huh?" His eyebrows furrow together as he pouts. "I would eat it myself, but that would be kind of rude, wouldn't it?"

He finally takes note of Kosuke, and gives her a smile that's so utterly... _flowery_ that she swears it just made her blood sugar boost _._ "Hello!" He holds out the plate to her. "German chocolate cake?"

Kosuke, not being a particular chocolate fan, would normally turn this offer down, but heck if she isn't starving at the moment. "Please and thank you," she confirms. She takes the plate and fork from him. It's still not quite to her taste, but she can't deny how unbelievably perfect it is made regardless.

"This is Mitsukuni Haninozuka," Tamaki says. He gestures to Kosuke as he adds, "This is Kosuke Nakahara."

"You can call me Hani, if you want," the boy tells her with yet another flowery smile. Then he notes her half-dry rat's nest of hair and crumpled clothing, and the smile turns into a curious frown. "Are you okay? You're all wet."

"We were just getting to that," says Haruhi. She turns back to Kosuke expectantly. "You were saying?"

"It—"

"What's the verdict?"

Yet another voice, this one surprisingly and almost comically deep compared to Hani's light voice, speaks up, and all attention is given to another newcomer. He's particularly tall, with shaggy dark hair and eyes the color of charcoal. Kosuke can't be sure with his attire, which is not quite formfitting, but she thinks that he also has a bit more of a muscular build. His face is set into a perfectly neutral expression _._

Hani turns from him to Kosuke to explain, "This is Takashi Morinozuka, my younger cousin."

Kosuke smiles politely. "Oh." She looks between the two of them for a moment, and still smiling, asks, " _What_?"

"What do we do about the cake problem, Tama-chan?"

Tamaki hums and strokes his chin thoughtfully. Eventually, he points up his finger and decides, "Tell them to double the production of crème brulee. That should satisfy the masses."

Mori gives a thumbs-up and turns on his heel. As he walks away from them, the remaining four teenagers turn back to Kosuke expectantly.

"Alright. Well..." Kosuke passes her empty plate and fork to a passing sever and takes in a deep breath. "A few hours ago..."

* * *

"What _are you_ wearing?!"

 _Kosuke stopped in her tracks at her aunt's half-shocked, half-furious voice. She was waiting for her at the gate of the villa. She was dressed in a navy blue, shin-length dress with matching stilettos. She had a string of pearls around her neck, and her chestnut brown hair was as straight as a needle, just brushing against her shoulders. Rin Nakahara was by no means an ugly woman, but she was definitely..._ intimidating.

 _Kosuke looked down at her attire confusedly. Her dress was long-sleeved, a sort of brownish-pink color, with a knee-length plaid skirt. The loafers probably weren't the best, admittedly, but they weren't eyesores. She had a piece of her hair tied to the side while the rest hung loose, and she had her usual satchel at her hip. She didn't see anything wrong with how she looked. "Clothing?"_

 _Rin sighed and span her niece around limply like a dress-up doll. "You might as well be wearing pajamas...Would it be too much to ask that you actually_ try _once in a while?"_

 _Rin narrowed her eyes at Kosuke's forehead. A moment later, she was rubbing at the port-wine stain above Kosuke's right eyebrow, as if it would rub away so easily. She had done it ever since Kosuke was a little girl._

 _Kosuke inched back from her. "The invitation said semi-formal."_

"There's no such thing." _Rin sighed again and just gestured to the entrance to the villa. "It's too late to go home and change. Let's just go ahead and go in. You've got your portfolio, right?"_

 _Kosuke nodded and held up the manila folder in her hands. Rin took it from her and flipped it open, the corner of her mouth twitching down as she did. After a moment, she held it back out to Kosuke. "Don't get your hopes up."_

 _When she received no response, Rin turned to her niece. She had knelt down in front of one of the flower bushes and had taken out her camera from her satchel. She was snapping away at a monarch butterfly that had landed on one of the hydrangeas. Rin sighed and took a hold of her ear, dragging her inside while she gasped, "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!"_

 _This was by no means an unusual event. Kosuke had decided to pursue photography two years prior. The Nakaharas were almost exclusively artists – musicians, composers, painters, sculptors, writers, actors, so on, and so forth. It was simply tradition that every Nakahara found their "calling" sometime in their teenage years, and Kosuke's was photography. Her aunt, a renowned photographer herself, namely for her husband's successful fashion magazine, had been uncharacteristically delighted to hear the news. It was one of the three times that Kosuke had ever seen her genuinely smile—the other two times being when a rival magazine shut down and took her high school bully down with it._

 _However, Kosuke's work was not what she had expected nor wanted. Kosuke figured that Rin had wanted Richard Avedon and instead got Jay Maisel. Rin favored straightforward, neat, black-and-white photography that got straight to the point. Kosuke was far more interested in more colorful, sweeter, nostalgia-driven photography. Sunsets, rainy days, busy boardwalks—really, just whatever caught her interest and felt right in the moment. Rin was, needless to say, displeased, but no matter what she said, Kosuke's mind did not waver._

 _Unfortunately enough, Kosuke's mother and stepfather were away on business affairs. Her mother, Kayoko, had been a renowned chef from the age of fifteen and had put her skills to use by creating what would eventually be the most successful five-star restaurant chain in Japan,_ The Lily Bowl _. As such, her and her husband (Kosuke's stepfather) always went to the annual Food & Wine Festival in North America, and Rin was left in charge of her and her siblings. _

_Rin was taking every opportunity to push Kosuke into the spotlight of the photography world—art shows, gallery openings, even weddings for absolute strangers—and this was one of those attempts. Emi Inoue was the owner of a well-known art gallery in Tokyo, and was always looking out for new works to put into it, especially from young and aspiring artists. It just so happened that her daughter, Ai, was a classmate of Kosuke's who had invited her to her birthday party at their. Kosuke tried and failed to keep it from her aunt._

 _Once they entered the villa, Kosuke had to give her aunt some credit – she wasn't lying about the nonexistence of semi-formal attire. Every girl that passed by was in their Sunday best, all pearls and diamonds and silks. Every man was dressed in prim and proper suits and ties. Kosuke wasn't gathering stares or even that many looks, but even she knew that she stuck out like a sore thumb. Not that she was going to lose any sleep that night._

 _Rin pulled Kosuke aside. When she spoke, it was like she was going over battle plans. "I'm going to talk to Emi, and find a way to casually show her your portfolio. Just be friendly with Ai, okay?"_

 _Kosuke saluted her. "Aye, aye, Captain."_

 _Rin rolled her eyes and handed her the wrapped box in her hands. As she took the portfolio from Kosuke, she hissed, "Don't screw this up."_

 _As she stops away, Kosuke half-whispers, half-calls after her, "Thank you for the vote of confidence!"_

 _She continues on her way to the sitting room, where Ai and the other girls were. They were there for the actual birthday party – the parents were more or less treating it like a social event for themselves. The girls were all either standing or sitting on one of the sofas, and a miniature mountain of gifts sat on the table._

 _Ai herself finally caught sight of Kosuke and smiled at her in greeting. She was a beautiful girl, a bit shorter than Kosuke, and a bit plumper, and was probably the most pure, innocent person Kosuke had ever met. Once, when they were passing by one another in the hallway, Ai asked her how her day was going. Kosuke had responded with "Thank you."_

" _Hey, Kosuke!" Ai pulled her into a hug, which was unnecessary, but welcome._

 _The others girls noticed her presence as well, and sent a small chorus of greetings ("Hello~!" and "Hey~!") her way. Kosuke just smiled and waved politely._

 _She held the box in her hands out to Ai. She took it and playfully jiggled it in her hand. "What is it~?"_

 _Kosuke paused, then shrugged and hummed a genuine 'I don't know' sound. Rin had not let her within five feet of picking out the gift, so she genuinely had no idea what was inside. Ai shrugged it off and turned on her heel._

 _As she did, another girl came walking to Kosuke. With a single look, the first thought anyone would think would be "Ballerina". She was petite and slender, and her every movement held a sort of light grace. Her honey-blond hair was pulled from her face in a tight bun, and her cheeks were permanently flushed pink. If her image weren't already obvious, she was wearing a knee-length pink dress with a skirt made of tulle._

 _She came to Kosuke with her head slightly ducked. When she came to her, Kosuke let her entwine their arms, as she always did._

" _I almost thought you wouldn't show up," the girl, Okina Henka, murmured to Kosuke._

 _Kosuke shushed her soothingly. Cupping the girl's head in her hands, she tucked her underneath her chin and lightly stroked her hair as she cooed, "Hush, my little one, I would never leave you with the big girls all by yourself~."_

 _Okina whined and pulled back from her. "Stop that!"_

 _Kosuke wrapped her arms around her and pulled her close. Okina feebly struggled against her, and Kosuke once again cooed, "Let Mommy love you!"_

 _Okina and Kosuke had been friends from their first year of junior high. They met on a class field trip, when the teacher told everyone to pick a partner. Kosuke had seen her standing away from everyone, so nervous to ask anyone that she seemed close to tears, and asked if she wanted to partner up with her. They had been a duo ever since, but while Kosuke had found her love of photography and grew out of her shell, Okina had stayed as a shrinking violet. She was better, but still preferred to stay with Kosuke in any social gathering._

" _Is your aunt here with you?" Okina asked._

" _Yeeup," Kosuke replied, popping her lips on the 'P'. "She's talking to Emi right now."_

 _Okina frowned. "Don't you get upset when she drags you around like a show pony?"_

" _Yes, but I also enjoy living, so I don't say anything."_

" _I guess so. Your aunt_ is _kind of…well…" Okina intentionally trailed off, but Kosuke kept watching her expectantly. "She's…you know…"_

" _Horrifying? Terrifying? Fear-inducing?"_

" _No, no, no, no! She's just…"_

 _Kosuke rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Okina, I won't be upset if you call my aunt scary._ I _think she's scary."_

 _Okina vehemently shook her head. "She's not scary! That's rude!"_

" _My aunt is not scary?"_

" _No!"_

" _Good, because she's staring right behind you."_

 _Kosuke already had her arms extended to catch Okina when she jumped up and into her arms with a squeal of fright. Spinning her head left and right, Okina found no sign of said woman, and turned back to Kosuke to pout at her angrily._

 _Kosuke patted her on the back. "Mommy will protect you from the Big Bad Rin."_

 _Ai called the other girls to to start opening gifts, and Kosuke set Okina down on her feet. Most of the girls sat down on the sofas, including Kosuke and Okina, while others were left to sit on the floor as primly as they could._

 _Ai went to opening her presents, and Kosuke simply sat back, relaxed, and watched. Chanel sunglasses, a Versace purse, tickets to_ The Phantom of the Opera _on Broadway...Okina's gift was a silver hairpiece of diamonds and pearls, and she flushed red when Ai thanked her. Kosuke only spoke up every now and then to give an impressed "Ooh!" or "Oh, that's pretty!" At some point, she took her camera back out to snap a few pictures of the scene. She took random photos of her classmates often, so there was nothing unusual about it. Okina, on the other hand, always took some convincing before she let Kosuke snap a camera at her._

 _At one point, Ai pulled out a short sapphire dress with a ridiculous amount of embroidery. Kosuke had just thought 'That looks familiar' when one of the girls, Suzu, squeals, "I saw that in_ Picture Perfect!"

 _It was the name of her uncle's magazine, so that answered her question. Not every girl in Kosuke's class read fashion magazines, but if they did, rest assured they read every issue of_ Picture Perfect.

 _And, as with every mention of it, Kosuke was met with the standard questions._

" _Hey, Kosuke," said one of the girls. "Can you tell us what the next spring fashions are going to be?"_

 _Kosuke shrugged. "I can ask."_

" _What's the 'special edition' issue going to be about?"_

" _Something special. Sorry, but that's all I know."_

" _Do you have any idea what the new black is going to be?"_

" _It's...I..._ What?"

 _Ai carefully folded the dress back into the box. As she set it aside, she asked Kosuke, "So are you planning on working for your uncle once you're a photographer?"_

 _Kosuke had been taking a swig of her tea and laughed so hard that she sent it dribbling down her chin in a bubbling snort, causing Okina to jump. The day that Rin allowed Kosuke a photography job with_ Picture Perfect _would be the day that pigs sprouted wings. She wiped the liquid away from her face and took in several deep breaths to calm herself down, eliciting a few more small giggles, before finally calmly replying, "No."_

" _...Oh. Well, it would be really cool if you did." Ai wiggled her eyebrows. "Then you can be our personal spy and send us all the secrets."_

 _The others giggled and chuckled at that. Kosuke just smiled. She had not a drop of ill will towards Ai, but because they were not particularly close, she seriously doubted she would see much of any of her classmates after graduation, especially since it seemed that everyone was going everywhere._

 _Another girl – Kosuke could never remember if her name was Katheryn or Katelyn – spoke up, "I think it's really cool that you're apprenticing your aunt."_

 _Kosuke's smile dropped into a confused frown. Apprenticing? "What do you mean?"_

 _Katheryn/Katelyn paused, probably wondering if she had gotten her information wrong. "I thought you were. She's been teaching you, right?"_

 _Oh. Well, technically, she wasn't_ wrong. _However, 'teaching' usually implies 'learning'. Kosuke had learned only one lesson from Rin—_ Trust no one _, and she didn't even know how that applied to photography. "Sort-of, kind-of, not really...? She's—"_

 _Another girl, Mai, perhaps, speaks up, "Yeah, and I thought you were going to France to enroll in that arts school? The same one she went to?"_

 _Rin_ had _talked to her at some point about enrolling at said school, because she had graduated from there and knew full well that they could polish up Kosuke's skills – or, if they couldn't, then she was hopeless. As much as she insisted, Kosuke only kept it as a possibility at most. "We talked about it some..."_

 _Ai added, "I think Mom mentioned that she had her first work in the Sando gallery when she was seventeen...So did you, right?"_

 _Some time ago, Rin had struck a sort of deal with another gallery owner to at least take a look at one of Kosuke's works and consider putting it in to the exhibit. In the end, she only agreed to show him Kosuke's simplest black-and-white photograph. It got in, which was nice, but Kosuke still felt disappointed in how the picture turned out. And that was just a few short months after her seventeenth birthday. "I...did."_

" _Oh, right!" Mai took a swallow of tea before adding, "That's where she met your uncle, right, Kosuke?"_

 _They had visited the gallery on the first night that Kosuke's photograph was displayed, to listen to the feedback and thank the owner formally and whatnot. While they were there, Rin had constantly pushed Kosuke into talking with a boy named Ikuto. Kosuke didn't know what it was about him that caught Rin's interest. He was a perfectly nice boy, but what made him stand out to her aunt? Then again...she did mention that he was planning on starting a couture magazine of his own... "That's...correct..."_

" _Actually," Ai said thoughtfully, "I think...Yeah...Yeah, my grandmother put some of your aunt's works into the gallery. She said she just so happened to have her portfolio with her at the time, and when she looked at it, she offered to put it in. They were at my mom's birthday party when it happened."_

 _Surely Rin had already showed Emi the portfolio by now._

 _Kathryn/Katelyn cooed. "Weird..."_

 _Mai nodded. "Yeah, it sounds like your stories are turning out pretty much the same."_

 _In her thoughts, Kosuke was hardly managing not to tune them out. She was staring straight ahead, her hands frozen on her lap, her face frozen. Only Okina seemed to notice, because she placed a hand on Kosuke's forearm with a concerned frown._

" _Isn't that amazing, Kosuke?" Ai's eyes were sparkling with so much oblivious innocence that it almost hurt. "You're going to turn out just like your aunt!"_

 _So, of course, Kosuke did the most obvious thing in such a situation._

 _She screamed._

 _She couldn't exactly put a sequence into her head, but she knew that one second, she was sitting with the other girls in the sitting room, and the next, she was running into the streets with her mouth open in a shrill, unwavering shriek. Did she scare the living daylights out of the girls, including Okina? Probably. Was Rin realizing that the ungodly sound that just shook the entire villa belonged to her niece? Most likely. Did Kosuke have any idea where she was going?_

 _Nope, and she couldn't care less._

* * *

"I was passing by and decided to take a look." Kosuke shrugs and takes a light swig of her sparkling cider. "Then Tamaki came out to get me, and now—" She wiggled her free fingers. "I'm here."

The other Hosts nod slowly, one or two taking sips of their own cider. They are all still standing in a semi-circle around Kosuke. Most of them just look politely interested, while Tamaki and Haruhi look concerned and frankly a bit disturbed.

"Um..." Haruhi's eyebrows are knit on her forehead, and a bead of sweat runs down her temple. "Don't you think you overreacted?"

"Yeah." Kosuke shrugs, making a face that clearly says, _Can't fix it now._

"Well." Tamaki quickly digs into his pocket and withdraws a flip-phone. He holds it out to Kosuke. "Do you want to call someone to come pick you up?"

Kosuke pauses. To be honest, she can stand some alone time for another hour or two, but it would simply be cruel to leave her family and Okina worried about her for so long. The thought of her younger sister, probably shaking with worry and fear, makes the guilt inside of her roil.

"Yes, please," she sighs.

Tamaki just nods encouragingly as she takes the phone from his hand. She steps away, and then pauses. It's a bit too loud and busy in the room to take a phone call, but of course, it's still raining outside. Eventually, she decides to just duck into the nearby bathroom once more.

As the door swings shut behind her, Hani looks up at Tamaki. "Did you hear anything from Hika-chan or Kao-chan?"

Tamaki shakes his head with a sigh. "Kaoru said he's doing fine, but nothing from Hikaru. As per the usual." He takes a glance over his shoulder. "You should all return to the guests. I'll take care of Kosuke."

Everyone nods and turns on their heels. Tamaki is left alone, nodding politely to and greeting guests while he waits.

And then, he, and everyone else in Ouran Academy, and probably Tokyo, hear it.

It is a difficult sound to describe. In a way, it somewhat sounds like a particularly long yowl from a cat, but at the same time, it's similar to the roar of a bear. At its sound, the entire world seems to tremble, champagne rippling in glasses, chandeliers swaying from the force. If one were to listen closely—heaven knows why they would—they would perhaps manage to catch warbled roars of phrases like "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA" or "NEVER BEEN SO EMBARRASSED!"

It goes on for no more than a minute, but it feels like an eternity to everyone listening. When it's over, all ears are left ringing, and perhaps one or two hearing aids are rendered useless. For a few minutes, one can hear a pin drop in the silence, until voices slowly resume speaking.

The bathroom door, the source of the unholy noise, swings open, and Kosuke steps out. All of her hair is swept to the left from blast force, and her pupils are the size of quarters.

She makes a stiff, straight line to Tamaki and holds up his flip-phone. When it comes into his palm, she obliviously shouts, _"THANK YOU!"_

* * *

"You don't have to stay here with me, you know. Don't you have to talk to everyone?"

Tamaki waves his hand at Kosuke dismissively. "A gentleman does not abandon a lady in unfamiliar surroundings."

Kosuke pauses, considering, and then shrugs. "Fair enough."

The limousine is already en route to Ouran, so all Kosuke has left to do is wait. Considering she's already gained herself the noble titles of "Little Miss Drip Drop" and "Eardrum Destroyer", she has all intent to simply shrink into the corner and out of anyone's attention. However, Tamaki insists on sticking by her side, despite having actively talked to the guests all evening. Now the two of them are standing against one of the walls, where fewer guests stroll.

Kosuke chews on her lip awkwardly. Tamaki doesn't seem to mind the silence, but it's a bit uncomfortable for her to just watch everyone else converse from the sidelines.

She clears her throat and asks, "So what exactly is going on tonight?"

Tamaki smiles at the question and extends an arm out at the scene before them. "This is a formal event for students and parents that are planning to attend Ouran University. We already had the Ouran Fair to display the school and its attributes, but this is somewhat of a 'Congratulations' party for everyone coming in."

Kosuke doesn't know how to reply, so she just dumbly says, "Oh."

"To be honest," Tamaki continues, "When I saw you outside, I wasn't sure if you were here for this or not. Then I noticed you were alone, and I thought something was wrong."

"Well, I'm okay," Kosuke replies with a reassuring smile. Then she pauses, and a bead of sweat runs down her temple. "Alright, that's not entirely true, but I'm okay enough."

She somewhat expects Tamaki to just nod and turn back to the crowd, but instead, he turns his body towards her.

"I am curious, though," he says, "Why _aren't_ you attending Ouran? Everyone recognizes the Nakahara name—By the way, please tell your mother that her teriyaki salmon is amazing."

"She'll be flattered."

"And Ouran University has a photography course. It seems like just the place for you."

Kosuke purses her lips before she replies, "I don't know. I always wanted to attend here, but I live a little over two hours away, in Nagoya. When she was younger, my sister would have a meltdown if I was gone for more twenty-four hours, and Okina and I hardly managed to hang out as it was. But now, I've been keeping it as a possibility. I really need to start planning ahead. Graduation is just a few months away…"

"It's not too late to apply," Tamaki replies. "We extended the application period, so we're still taking newcomers."

It wasn't a bad idea, Kosuke has to admit. She wouldn't say that attending Ouran is something that she's dreamed of every night, but she also wasn't lying when she said that she had always wanted to attend. Other than being the most prestigious school in Japan, its classes and clubs are something to marvel at. Saga Academy, the school she has attended since junior high, is nothing to laugh at. Actually, it can be considered a runner-up to Ouran, but even so, Ouran offers probably hundreds more opportunities. She _was_ planning to attend Ouran University before her aunt showed her several other options—both overseas and not—that would benefit her photography future.

"That doesn't sound bad," Kosuke muses. "That doesn't sound bad at all…Ouran has other art clubs too, right?"

Tamaki nods enthusiastically. "Absolutely! We also have a cooking club, a film club, an animal club, a Dark Magic club—" Kosuke starts at this, but he continues, "—an archery club, and several literature clubs, just to name a few of many." Tamaki proudly shuts his eyes as he readjusts his tie. "I myself am the president of the Ouran Host Club. You met the other members tonight."

Kosuke pouts her lips in thought. 'Host Club.' Why was that ringing a bell?

"What is the Host Club?"

Tamaki's smile turns into a frown faster than a light switch. Violet eyes stare unblinkingly at Kosuke, almost silently pleading that she is not being serious. When he realizes that yes, she is, he steps back as if she had struck him—with a hand over his heart and everything.

"You don't _know—_?"

"Nope."

Tamaki huffs out a breath through his nose, but then that confident smile is back on his face. He leans forward, rounding his arm around her to place his hand on her opposite shoulder. Kosuke looks down at the hand with a raised brow, but then goes wide-eyed when he presses her to his side. He holds out his other hand as if gesturing to an image before them. For some reason that Kosuke cannot explain, it feels like the people around them fade away into darkness, leaving the two of them in a spotlight.

"The Ouran Host Club is a team of individuals who use their charm and beauty to the delight of the young women of Ouran Academy," Tamaki explains. You'd think he was explaining a world wonder rather than a school club. "It was originally a high school club, but as of now, all of our members have graduated into Ouran University. It has become a proud treasure of Ouran over the past few years."

Tamaki turns her slightly, and in the dark distance, another spotlight shines down, this time landing on the slender boy with combed jet hair and thin glasses.

"Kyoya Ootori," Tamaki tells Kosuke. "Second-year student, age twenty, son of Yoshio Ootori, head of Ootori Medical. Kyoya is our financial adviser, but is also the 'Cool Type' of the Club. He appeals to women who prefer straightforward, intelligent conversation."

He turns her again, this time drawing her attention to yet another spotlight. The light bounces off of the short boy's honey-colored hair, and illuminates his flushed cheeks. As Tamaki and Kosuke watch, he laughs silently, rocking back on his heels with joy.

"Mitsukuni Haninozuka—third-year student, age twenty-one, member of a family infamous for their skill in martial arts. Mitsukuni—or 'Hani', as he prefers to be called—is the 'Loli-Shota Type'. His childlike innocence and infectious laughter hold the love of many."

Not too far from Hani, another spotlight appears. If they were closer, Hani might have been cast in the shadow of the much taller boy with broad shoulders and a straight face.

"Takashi Morinozuka—third-year student, age twenty-one, and a member of the Morinozuka family, who have been closely entwined with the Haninozukas for many years, to the point of being cousins with Hani. 'Mori' is the 'Wild Type', or to some, the 'Strong and Silent Type'. He does not speak much, but his kind soul and close relationship with his cousin have many girls wanting to find something underneath his stony exterior."

The fourth spotlight comes down, this time on the petite girl with short brown hair and wide brown eyes. She's nodding and smiling politely to a shadowed figure.

"Haruhi Fujioka. first-year student, age nineteen, and currently the only commoner to attend Ouran, as well as the only female member of the Host Club. Haruhi is the 'Natural Type'—she has no secrets to keep, and has a warm, friendly approach that makes anyone feel immediately comfortable."

Their own spotlight intensifies. Kosuke flinches in the glare and shields her eyes with her hand. She can just barely manage to see Tamaki standing gloriously in the light, with the air around him shimmering

"And myself," he declares, "Tamaki Suoh, second-year student, age twenty. Son of the chairman of Ouran, and, as said before, president of the Host Club. I am the 'Princely Type'. To me, every girl should feel cherished and cared for, like a princess, and I am more than happy to help."

There is a moment of complete darkness, then the room is fully illuminated once more. Everyone continues walking and talking as if nothing had ever happened.

Tamaki removes his hand from Kosuke and lets his hand drop down to his side. When he speaks, his face has fallen somewhat, almost in disappointment.

"We have two other Hosts, but they are not attending this evening, unfortunately." Then his smile returns in full. "Nevertheless, the Ouran Host Club is a hallmark of this school." He leans forward slightly with a secretive wink at her. "If you attend, you'd be able to pay us a visit. We'd be happy to see you."

"As nice as that sounds—" She isn't being sarcastic. It truly does sound like a fun thing to try at least once. "—I'll have to think about it. My aunt has a lot of other colleges she wants me to attend for photography."

Tamaki hums and leans back. He reaches into the pocket of his blazer and pulls out a white handkerchief, and then pulls a pen from his pocket. As Kosuke watches, he scribbles something down, and with a quick smile, holds it out to her. She raises a brow, but nevertheless takes it. A series of numbers is written on it.

"If you want to apply and have any questions, just call this number," he instructs her. He pauses. "It's your choice, you know, not your aunt's."

Kosuke looks between him and the handkerchief. Eventually, she curls the cloth into her palm and asks, "Why do you want me to attend so badly?"

He seems taken aback by her question, but only for a moment. "I would like anyone and everyone to attend Ouran." He pats her lightly on the head. "Including you."

Kosuke looks down at her feet thoughtfully, then at the handkerchief.

"You'll consider, right?"

Tamaki is watching her expectantly. Kosuke sends him a small smile and a nod.

"Right."

* * *

"Kosuke, why the heck are you even 'considering'?"

Kosuke shrugs defensively. "I have a hundred other colleges to consider!"

From across the cafeteria table, Tomoko raises an unconvinced brow at her. "Like the one in Nowhere, Ireland? Where the only civilization for twenty miles is a sheep farm?"

Kosuke blinks. "I…Yeah, that one."

It had been almost a week since she had visited—well, stumbled upon—Ouran University. When she got home, everything went about as well as she expected. Her younger sister, Minami, was about three seconds away from crying when she came home, and almost tackled her in a hug when she did. Her aunt sat her down for two hours straight to tell her how she had embarrassed both of them, that she had never been so ashamed, that they wouldn't be able to show their faces to the Inoues for at least fifty years.

The phone kept ringing all the while, until she finally gave it to Kosuke. Both of her parents were on the other line, both were equally relieved and upset, and with her aunt listening to her every word, Kosuke had to tweak the story a bit. When everything had calmed down, her parents both agreed that she was grounded from going out for two months, and her phone would be taken away for three weeks. Kosuke wasn't happy, of course, but she knew that she wasn't going to just get a slap on the wrist for what she did. On the plus side, her parents refused to listen to Rin's ideas—they unanimously agreed that "behavioral readjustment classes" were far too severe.

At the moment, she's in the Saga Academy cafeteria, seated with Okina and their other friends, Tomoko Silva and Jet Tsukuda. Their fifth member, Kohta, had called a meeting with the other members of the fencing team during lunch. They all knew of the incident at Ai's birthday party (it had spread like wildfire through the school and gained Kosuke unflattering popularity), but Kosuke only just now mentioned Tamaki Suoh inviting her to attend. No one was particularly impressed with her hesitance.

"You know," Jet says through a mouthful of sandwich, much to Tomoko's obvious disgust, "if I were personally asked to go attend Ouran-freaking-University by the chairman's son, I would go tell Rin to stick it where the sun doesn't shine, because I'm going."

Kosuke reels back, offended. "Geez, Jet, I thought you liked me. I didn't realize you wanted me dead…"

From beside her, Okina speaks up to almost a normal volume, "If I were you, I would go."

"If _anyone_ were her, they would go," Tomoko sighs. She jabs a thumb at herself, making her gold wristband jingle. " _I_ would go, if I weren't going to Moshida. Jet would go, if he were smart enough to not fail two days in."

Jet muffles through another mouthful of food in agreement.

Okina nods and adds, "I was going to go until I got the dancing scholarship to Orugu."

"What about my aunt?" Kosuke. She places her chin on her hand and huffs, "Ouran isn't an art-driven school, and I think I have to agree with her for the next ten years just to get her to look at me again."

Tomoko sighs and leans forward, lightly taking Kosuke's hands in hers. Her face is gentle, yet stern, almost like a teacher speaking to a student.

"Kosuke, I'm going to say this in the nicest manner that I can." Tomoko pauses, makes sure Kosuke's blue eyes are locked with her dark ones, and slowly tells her, _"Grow a backbone."_

"Rin-zilla feeds on fear." Jet nods knowingly. "The more she scares you, the stronger she becomes."

Kosuke tips her head side-to-side. That sounds about right.

The bell rings, and the cafeteria is filled with the sound of hundreds of footsteps and the rising chatter of voices. The four of them stand up, and as they do, Tomoko and Jet step away to head back to their shared sixth period class.

"Don't think too hard about it," Tomoko calls behind her.

"Don't be an idiot!" Kosuke hears a sharp smack, and Jet's pained _"Ow!"_

Kosuke and Okina both pass their empty trays to the cafeteria workers and head to the cafeteria exit. Once outdoors, they walk side-by-side, listening to the sound of footsteps on cobblestone and birds twittering in the trees.

Kosuke, meanwhile, continues to purse her lips in concentration. She had to consider the pros and cons of attending Ouran, and while the pros seemed to count higher, she still wasn't absolutely sure if she should make the decision or not.

"Kosuke," says Okina. She lightly bumps the taller girl with her shoulder as they walk. "I'm pretty sure you want to attend Ouran."

"Of course I want to, I just—"

"Then do it. Go." Okina wiggles her fingers in Kosuke's face. "Be free."

Kosuke lightly chews on the inside of her cheek. She opens her mouth, closes it, then opens it again to say, "You really think I should?"

" _Yes._ We just spent the last half-hour telling you ' _Yes_.'"

They fall into a short silence after that. Kosuke kicks at a pebble on the walkway, and when it disappears into the grass, she speaks again.

"You know, no matter what school I go to, we're going to be hanging out less often than we do now. We'll always be at least three hours away from each other, and we'll be busy enough as it is."

Okina pauses. They both know that Kosuke is right. All throughout high school, the two of them didn't hang out quite as often as best friends did. Okina has taken near-daily dancing classes since her sixth year of elementary school, school breaks were usually spent majorly at their respective vacation homes, and not every weekend plan managed to work out. School had become almost their only way to see one another, and that would be taken away the day that they graduated.

Eventually, Okina shrugs. "We can text. We'll visit every now and then. It's not like we're just going to immediately forget about each other, right?"

Kosuke nodded with a small smile. "Right."

Okina reaches her hand into the pocket of Kosuke's blazer. She pulls out a familiar white handkerchief and places it in Kosuke's hand. Kosuke had kept it with her almost all week, trying and failing time and again to grow the nerve and call the number written on it.

Kosuke looks back up at Okina, who gives her an encouraging nod. Kosuke nods back.

* * *

 **Here it is! I again apologize for the wait, it's been a busy summer where I am. If you guys don't mind, can you tell me if the scenes feel too short or not? I want to make sure I didn't rush anything. :) Other than that, review to your heart's content!**

 **It's great to be back!**


	3. And So It Begins

Kosuke leans her head against the window of the limousine, watching the familiar scenery pass by. She's been riding since four thirty that morning, and even though her legs and arms are stiff and her boredom is reaching new heights, she can't deny the excitement bubbling inside her. She's finally on her way to Ouran University, and will be spending the next few weeks in a new environment, surrounded by new people.

And away from her aunt.

 _Tee hee hee._

Looking back, it's surprising to see how fast time flew between Ai's Birthday Disaster and where she sits now. Rin, as Kosuke predicted, was not entirely happy that Kosuke had chosen a university over one of the arts schools she had wanted. However, Kosuke was happy that for once, she had a choice that was up to _her,_ and attending Ouran was that choice. Her relatives were happy to hear it, too, much to Rin's chagrin. All of her passive-aggressive statements ("I guess I'll tell the headmaster of Pinecrest to cancel that interview" or "You just got a letter from Nigushi Arts—I'll throw it away for you.") fell on deaf ears.

Her friends were happy for her, too, especially when they heard of Rin's irritation to it all. The five of them had an end-of-the-year party their last weekend before graduation, and Kosuke had saved her admission letter to open it there. Everyone else had congratulated her appropriately, while Okina was the one to pull her into a hug with a squeal. More cheers were sent her way at their graduation ceremony. Kosuke was proud that she managed not to cry…until Okina started to. Then they were both sobbing like babies.

Summer had ended on a bittersweet note. All of her friends—Kohta, Tomoko, Jet, and Okina—were headed their separate ways, hours away from Nagoya. The closest of them would be Tomoko and Jet, and they'd be forty-five minutes apart. They all agreed to text one another, but, well…Didn't everyone make that promise at some point in their lives, and then forget about it? In the least, Kosuke knew that Okina would keep in touch, or at least try to. She had hugged Kosuke for three minutes straight when she departed for Orugu Academy.

Her parents gave their proper goodbyes the weekend before, when they were on a short break from work, and gave her encouraging text messages this morning. Minami did see her go, and to Kosuke's surprise, did not cry when the limousine pulled away. Rin was there, too, but all she gave was a flick of a goodbye wave.

The street signs and passing buildings are becoming even more familiar—Kosuke remembers passing by them in the pouring rain. She pulls her earbuds out of her ears and tucks them and her phone into her pants pocket.

Traffic comes to a slow on the street outside of Ouran Academy, so a good fifteen minutes are spent stopping and moving, stopping and moving. Eventually, the brick walls come into view, then the opening gates. Past those, she sees familiar pink buildings and a brick clock tower. The campus is dotted with teenagers and parents, most carrying luggage with them.

The limousine finally pulls up before Ouran, and when she steps out, she has to admit that Ouran is ten times more beautiful in the shining sun. She quickly pulls her camera from her satchel and takes a few pictures of the tall buildings and crowds, then a few of the clock tower.

She only then realizes that the limousine driver is trying to take all of her luggage out of the back and carry it himself. Considering there are three bags packed tight, the poor man's face is red and sweaty, and Kosuke quickly tells him to set them down. They bid each other farewell, and the limousine drives away, leaving her alone.

She quickly notes that she probably should have helped the limousine driver take her bags in, as opposed to taking them all herself. She carefully wraps the straps over her shoulders and just hardly manages to stand to her feet. She takes deep breaths and moves forward, probably looking like a deflating red balloon. Some people passing by give her curious looks, but she's getting numb to it by this point.

The regret increases the more that she moves. She can feel her limbs crying in pain with every step. She tries to put on a brave face, but she can feel sweat running down her skin, and she keeps making a weird sound, like _"Mpffpfmfpf"._

At long last, she makes it into the lobby and pads over to the short line at the front desk. After ten agonizing minutes, she steps forward, smiling at the receptionist politely despite the pain in her eyes.

"Hello," she says in a high, clipped voice. "Can you. Show me. The way to. The dormitories?"

The receptionist blinks at her, but never the less reaches underneath the desk to pull out a map. He turns it towards her and points at the dormitory building. She'll have to go through the main building, and then go to the building at the right.

She nods, but then realizes that the receptionist is holding out the map for her to take. Her hands are on her bag straps to keep them in place, and although she tries to move one, she feels a strap shift almost warningly. So instead, she leans down, grabs the map between her teeth, and goes on walking.

The receptionist watches her go, as does a teacher that had walked up behind him.

The teacher raises a brow and looks down at the receptionist. "She knows we have carts, right?"

* * *

THIRTY MINUTES LATER

* * *

Once inside the lobby of girls' dormitory, Kosuke kneels down just low enough for her bags to rest on the floor. Her muscles seem to sigh in relief, but she doesn't dare revel in it too long. She finally removes the map from her mouth and tucks it into her satchel, in turn grabbing her lanyard instead. She flips the card over, reading the room number.

Room 302—third story.

Kosuke spots the elevator just up ahead, and pulls her lanyard over her head before once again lifting up her bags. However, just as she is ten feet away, a man dressed in a gray shirt and matching cap walks up to the elevator and places an 'OUT OF ORDER' sign on it before walking away.

Kosuke looks over to the stairwell with a low whimper. She walks ahead once more, thinking, _It's just three stories. I can make it in no time._

* * *

THREE HOURS LATER

* * *

When the door to her dorm swings open, Kosuke lets herself fall flat on her face to the floor. She's lucky that she doesn't break her nose on impact, but sighs in relief regardless. She lies there for a few minutes, at least until her legs don't feel like lead anymore, and shimmies her way out of her straps. She pulls herself up to sit on her legs.

The dorm is quite spacious, more like an apartment or a condo. Stepping in, Kosuke finds herself standing in the 'living room', complete with a sofa, a coffee table, and a flat screen television. A cellophane-wrapped welcoming basket filled with chocolate, fruit, and candy is set on the table. There is a kitchenette, too, with an island bar and pretty much every appliance sans a stove. Everything is made of wood and velvet and gold. To say Kosuke is impressed would be an understatement.

She grabs the straps of her bags and drags them down the small hallway to the door at the end. It's shut, but she could see faint light coming from underneath it.

She drops her bags, straightens out her clothes, clears her throat, and knocks.

"Hello?" she calls. "It's your dorm mate, Kosuke."

She receives no response. Inching forward just a touch, she holds her ear to the door. She can hear faint music on the other side.

"I just need to bring my bags in for a second." Silence. As bone-tired as she is, she can feel a vein begin to throb on her forehead, but takes a deep breath and adds, "I'm not trying to be rude, but I just spent four hours trying to get here, and I'm pretty sure my body is about to collapse like a push puppet."

She thinks she hears a voice, but it's so quiet and so quick, and she almost thinks that it sounds like a boy for a second. Her eyebrows furrow and she sets her ear to the wood of the door—

—only for it to swing open as a result.

Kosuke jumps back before she can fall into the room. The door is open just a touch, but she can still see a faint white light, almost as if it's coming from a television or some other kind of screen.

She figures that, whether her dorm mate is inside or not, it's still her room, too, so she's not exactly intruding by coming in to set her stuff down. She presses a hand to the door and pushes it open.

On the bright side, her half of the room looks great. There's a dresser, a desk with a chair and a computer, and a bed, already covered with sheets and a small mountain of pillows. So yes, that side of the room is fine and dandy.

The other side, on the other hand…

It has the bed. It has the dresser. It has the desk and the computer and the chair.

It also has more plushies than she can even dream of counting.

On every surface flat surface, every remaining space, piled on the bed, almost every nook and cranny, there's some kind of fan memorabilia. There are plushies, figurines, body pillows…Every single one of them is of a handsome boy of some sort, and there is at least five of each one. Some things are as small as Kosuke's pinky; others are as tall as her knees. The boys are also depicted on the posters that cover every inch of the walls. They're in groups or pairs, one or two showing a single boy smiling or smirking suggestively at Kosuke. Most of the posters have the logo of the boys' anime or manga or whatever they came from. _Honey Pie Café. Ibotawi Hockey. Sugar and Spice._ At least, everything is kept to that side of the room, to the point that it looks like there's a perfect straight line between each half.

Kosuke has no problem with dedicated fans, but even this seems… _eerie._ It's not at all helped by the fact that whoever her dorm mate is, they'd drawn the curtains tight shut, so the only light is coming from the flat screen television hanging on the wall.

Speaking of it, it's where the music is emitting from. The screen is on some kind of pause menu of sorts.

Squinting, Kosuke can just barely make out a title at the top.

"Uki…Doki…Memorial?"

The pieces click together.

Oh.

 _Oh no._

She has to get out of here.

She has to—

"HEY!"

Kosuke literally jumps five feet into the air.

The girl standing behind her is shorter than her by a few inches, with honey-blonde hair long enough to brush against her hips. Her eyes are brown, round, and her eyebrows are knit over them. She's dressed in a school uniform of sorts, but Kosuke knows for a fact that it isn't anywhere near Ouran's because its main colors are crimson, black, and white. It's trimmed in lace and buttons and a rose emblem is stitched to the breast of the blazer.

 _Otaku._

The girl leans close to Kosuke, almost nose-to-nose. Kosuke tries to lean back, but the girl follows, even when Kosuke is nearly bent backwards.

"So you're my dorm mate, huh?"

Kosuke glances over to the door. Maybe...Nah. "Yes...?"

The girl finally moves back and pulls Kosuke upright with her. She shakes the hand that she was already holding and sends a wink to Kosuke.

"Nice to meet ya! I'm Renge Houshakuji." She keeps shaking Kosuke's hand even when it goes slack. "And you are...?"

Kosuke just barely manages to speak the first syllable of her name before her voice cuts off into a choke. Renge had grabbed her lanyard and pulled her ID to her face, never minding the fact that she nearly decapitated her dorm mate.

Renge's eyes skim over the ID before she finally lets it drop. As Kosuke rubs her neck and wheezes, Renge obliviously smiles and states, "Kosuke Nakahara, huh?"

Kosuke tries to answer, but it comes out as a slurred "Yeauh iss nei ta mee hoo."

"Well, Kosuke Nakahara..."

Renge zips over to her side of the room and goes rummaging through her many, many items piled together in the corner. As she does so, she tosses items over her shoulder, plushies and body pillows and figurines. Kosuke ducks and dodges and just barely manages not to get a boxed toy to the eye. She smiles victoriously...until a giant plushy sends her toppling to the floor.

She had just pulled herself to her feet, holding the plushy to her chest, when Renge zips back over to her with a large scrolled paper in her hands.

"Has anyone ever told you that you look just like the protagonist of _Night of the Rose Moon_?"

She unfurls the poster so close to Kosuke's face that she has to lean back to see what it shows: a girl in a flowery kimono standing squished in the middle of a group of handsome boys. Every boy has the ears and tail of a wolf and are either winking, smiling, or glaring at Kosuke. The girl in the poster, looking quite flustered with her situation, has crimson hair and pleading blue eyes.

"No, I have not," replies Kosuke. "...Probably because most people have never heard of such a thing."

Renge scrolls the poster together and holds it to her heart. Somehow, almost supernaturally, the room around them melts away to a starlit forest. Wind lifts around them, bringing cherry blossom petals that Kosuke has to flick away from her face. When Renge speaks, she has a distant, dreamy look on her face, as if recalling a personal event.

"It's about a girl who wanders away from her town's summer festival and finds herself kidnapped by a pack of werewolf brothers. They're convinced that she's the 'Flower Bride' of an ancient legend, and one of them will marry her and lead all of werewolf-kind to a future free of hiding or hate!"

"...Oh. Hm." Kosuke pauses. "Otome or anime?"

"Both." Renge glares at nothing as they return to the image of their dorm _. "But I don't talk about the anime._ But anyway!"

Renge claps her hands, turning on the lights. She walks to the small shelf underneath the television and picks up a controller that Kosuke hadn't noticed before.

As Renge moves through the pause menu, she speaks over her shoulder, "I was just coming back to turn this off." She turns back to Kosuke with her brown eyes shimmering. "Do you know what _Uki Doki Memorial_ is?"

Kosuke pauses. Renge is staring at her much too expectantly for her comfort.

She sends Renge a thumbs-up and a wink. "Yes!"

Renge's smile instantly drops into a glower. "No you don't."

Kosuke hangs her head. "No…"

Renge holds one hand other her heart and raises the other to the air. The room once again melts away, this time to the courtyard outside of what seems to be a high school. A springtime sun beats down on them as cherry blossom petals once again begin to drift in the wind…despite the lack of any cherry trees anywhere.

" _Uki Doki Memorial_ is about a young girl who—"

Kosuke swats the image away and thus snaps Renge out of her moment.

"On another note," she says quickly, "Shouldn't we be going to the opening ceremony?"

Renge's eyebrows furrow together. "The opening ceremony was two hours ago."

"…Oh." A bead of sweat rolls down Kosuke's temple. "Right."

Renge finally places the controller back down and adds, "But they're serving lunch right now. I can show you to the cafeteria, if you want."

Kosuke bends down to lift her satchel onto her shoulder despite its lingering soreness. "Okay."

As they walk to the door, Renge once again turns to her with a large grin, this time pointing at her elaborate uniform. "Do you want to know which character I'm cosplaying as?"

"Are you going to tell me anyway?"

"Yep!"

"Okay, then!"

Kosuke lets Renge entwine their arms together and pull her out of the dorm and into the hall.

* * *

At some point in the cafeteria, Kosuke loses track of Renge. Quite abruptly, at that—Renge was there one moment, and the next, she was gone. She got her food—the menu held enough gourmet pastas, soups, and desserts to stop world hunger—and sat down with a group of girls who were friendly but didn't make much more than small talk. Not that she minded. She was eating.

After that, everyone was guided into the event hall for the second time that day. The opening ceremony, as Renge explained, went over the schedule for the rest of the day and the school year, and split groups up for campus tours. At the closing ceremony, the headmaster of the Academy gave his speech introducing us all to the new school year, giving out thanks, the generic sugar-speech that Kosuke has heard at least ten times.

Afterwards, the hall is filled with the sounds of moving feet and cheerful voices. Kosuke, meanwhile, is left pondering what she should do. She could go back to her dorm to start unpacking, or she could go find her classrooms. Then again, she did have a map already…

As she's contemplating (and speaking said contemplating aloud), she hears a familiar voice calling, _"Kosuke! Kosuke!"_

Her head turns left and right, trying to find the source, only for it to come walking up to her just a moment later. He looks almost identical to how she remembers him—tall, lanky, with perfectly messy blonde hair, only now he is dressed in a white blazer and slacks.

"You're here," he said when he finally came up to her. "A few weeks ago, I was reading through the list of first-years and saw you were listed." He paused here to turn away from her with a hand placed humbly on his face. "I influenced you, didn't I? My words must have inspired you!"

Kosuke paused and chewed her cheek thoughtfully. "Huh. I guess you did."

Tamaki's entire figure slumped forward as he murmured, "You say that like you didn't even think of it before now…"

"…Anyway. What are you here for? Didn't you go through this…what, two, three years ago?"

The effect was as quick as the flick of a switch. He spun back to her with a smile on his lips as he explained, "The presidents of the clubs are asked to attend opening day ceremonies. I think it helps the first-years become more comfortable."

Kosuke turns her gaze to the figures stepping off of the "stage". The majority of them have thinning hair and crow's feet at their eyes. The youngest of them look to be nearing their thirties. They were certainly too old to be students.

"What are those people here for?"

"Besides the staff, some of those people are from the school board. You missed them speaking at the opening ceremony." He lets out an exclamation and raises a hand to point towards them. "See the man leaving now?"

Kosuke stands to her tip-toes and cranes her neck. She just hardly manages to catch a pressed suit and neat light brown hair before they disappear past a door.

"Yeah?"

Tamaki nods, glowing with pride. "My father, Yuzuru Suoh. He comes for all four opening days every year."

"That makes sense, being the Chairman and all." It's one of her thoughts that she's spoken aloud again, but Tamaki doesn't seem to mind or notice, instead nodding in agreement. "Sounds like he's been busy, hopping all over Ouran."

"Very busy. But everything about Ouran is excellent—even its Chairman, so he remains dedicated."

Kosuke isn't sure how to reply, so she simply nods her head. Most of the students and parents have already filed out by this point, so there's less clattering and murmuring over their conversation.

Tamaki turns to her again and curiously asks, "So what are you going to do next?"

"I was just thinking about that." Kosuke holds up a finger. "I could either go back to my dorm to finish unpacking—" She holds up a second finger. "—or I could go around campus to find all my classrooms." She pauses, and then adds a third finger with a coy smile. "…Or do nothing. 'Do nothing' is always my third option."

Tamaki nods and he smiles that incredibly genuine smile of his as he says, "Well, you know, most of the Clubs are open to the new students right now." He winks and leans towards her and sings, "You could swing by the Host Club and see how great we are~!" Then he pulls back with a finger at his chin and his brows furrowed together. He looks her up and down and hums, "Though I'm not sure who you'd fit with. How do you feel about the Hosts that you've met so far?"

Kosuke pauses and tries to remember their faces and everything she picked up from them from that one night.

Haruhi's kind smile appeared in her head first. "Haruhi is very friendly and approachable."

She looked at Tamaki, with his eager smile and bright eyes. "And so are you, but with more… _charisma._ " She waves her hands in a circle to sprinkle imaginary sparkles in the air. Tamaki beams with pride.

A third face with big brown eyes and a sugary sweet smile comes up next. "Hani is definitely adorable."

The fourth face is as still as stone, the mouth pressed into a neutral line. "I don't know much about Mori but he seems fine."

The last face is cold and glares at her through the lens of his glasses. "And I'm pretty sure Kyoya hates me."

Tamaki's chuckle pulls her out of her thoughts. "Kyoya hates spending money, not you. Trust me—he's like that with everyone."

He turns halfway from her and says, "I should be heading back now." He gives another smile, and hand extends out to her, palm facing upwards. "Care to join?"

Kosuke pauses. On the one hand, everything could work out fine, but on the other hand, putting everything off could mean trouble for her later. Then again, it wouldn't be anything she couldn't—

"Ah, why not?" Kosuke slaps her hand onto his. "Lead the way!"

His grin is bright enough to light up a room, and he pulls her to the doors.

* * *

The room of the Ouran Host Club (Tamaki explained to her that they were lucky enough to get another Music Room, something she didn't understand) isn't far from what Kosuke had imagined. It's expansive, a bit too much on the pink side, and filled with plenty of girls from all four years. They're spread out everywhere, some of them clustered together, probably around Hosts she can't see. Others are seated on sofas and sipping tea as if awaiting something. Giggles and chatter rise up from every direction.

Tamaki has one arm around Kosuke's shoulders and the other on his hip. He lets out a deep breath as he looks around, like he's overlooking some beautiful landscape.

"Isn't it beautiful?" he sighs. "So many young ladies enjoying themselves in the company of perfect young men." He lifts a finger to wipe a tear away from his eye. "And to think this all began as a high school endeavor. Isn't it beautiful?"

Kosuke has no idea what he's talking about, but she wipes a tear away from her eye to humor him. "Absolutely."

Tamaki nods and claps his hand on her shoulder. "If you want to join a group, go right ahead, but if you want to book a personal appointment, go see Kyoya. Appointments are free today!" He straightens his blazer and runs a hand through his hair, more for show than tidiness. "I must return to the wanting masses. I know I said that a gentleman never leaves a lady in unfamiliar surroundings, but you'll be fine on your own, right?"

"Mm-hm!"

"Good. Enjoy yourself!"

And with that, he calls out to the 'princesses' and is swallowed in a wave of cheers and squeals. Kosuke is left blinking dumbly and hugging her satchel to her chest.

She lets out a breath and looks around the room. She taps her feet awkwardly.

"Okay…" she murmurs to herself, "I can either talk to people or make an appointment. Or I could leave, because nothing is always the third option."

She eventually decides to walk through the room. If she doesn't find anything that interests her, she'll either strike up a conversation with one of girls or leave. She was pretty sure that appointments would be packed, free or not. She doesn't think Tamaki will notice either way, and it would at least be better than standing immobile in the doorway. Maybe she'll take a few photographs while she's here, too.

Walking around, she gets a better understanding of why the Hosts are divided by 'Types'. Each of them is playing their acts up to their fullest to ensure that they're all unique from one another. Hani's infectious smiles and adorable pouts are making girls left and right squeal in delight. Kyoya speaks with a light smile and direct eye contact to cause every girl to duck their head and stutter. It's as amazing as it is hilarious. Across the room, Tamaki says something that Kosuke can't hear with a wave of his hand, and three girls hit the floor.

She takes a few photographs as she walks: one of Mori wiping some frosting off of Hani's cheek while girls silently scream in the foreground, one of Kyoya talking to a customer while her absolute attention is trained on him, one of Tamaki saying something with a grin that makes the girls chuckle. She has to capture them at the right angles and moments, but still, no one seems to notice.

At one point, she recalls the night that Tamaki introduced her to the Hosts. He had mentioned that there were two more that were not present that night…

Kosuke turns in a circle, her finger pointing and landing on each Host as she murmurs, "One…two…three…four…Wait, that's three missing. That can't be right."

She turns a bit too sharply, and of course, she crashes right into someone.

There are exclamations from both of them, stumbling footsteps, and the tinkle of rattled China. Thankfully, only a few people notice, saving Kosuke from yet another Oh Geez Everyone is Staring at Me Moment. ™ That doesn't keep her from being any less embarrassed and guilt-stricken.

"Sorry! Sorry! I swear I'm like a fish on roller-skates…Are you okay?"

Haruhi nods and gives a shaky chuckle as she relaxes. Luckily, no China on the tray she's holding has dropped and/or shattered, but a teacup and sugar bowl have toppled over, scattering cubes and spilling hot tea. She holds the tray carefully, evenly, to keep it from spilling over the sides. A few drops had landed on her scarlet blazer.

"I'm fine, it's okay. Sorry, I shouldn't have been walking so closely."

"No, no, no, it was totally my fault. Ugh, I made a mess."

Haruhi shrugged. "It's only tea. We have plenty of it. It's no big deal."

Kosuke purses her lips. She raises her hands to the tray. "Here, I'll go get more."

"Huh? Oh, no, you don't…have to…" Kosuke reaches for the tray and looks at her pleadingly, complete with watery eyes and a pout. Haruhi blinks, but eventually lets Kosuke take hold of the ends. "Okay then."

Kosuke sends her a smile and walks in the direction Haruhi had been coming from. The brunette walks beside her, and anyone that was still watching stops and turns away.

Kosuke eventually finds the small table where the spoons, cups, sugar, bowls, and whatever else is set up. She places the tray down, moves the stuff off of it, and goes to wiping it down with some handkerchiefs.

It's silent for a few minutes, save for the hum of the voices. Kosuke tosses the handkerchiefs into the wastebasket, and Haruhi finally speaks up.

"So how's your first day at Ouran going? Do you like it so far?"

Kosuke nods enthusiastically. "Yep! I almost went into cardiac arrest three times this morning, but other than that—" Kosuke sends Haruhi a thumbs-up and a wink, both genuine. "—I've been fantastic!"

Haruhi gives her a polite but confused smile. A bead of sweat rolls down her temple. "Oh. Good." Then her smile turns genuine again, a bit sheepish, as she adds, "But it sounds like you're having a good first day. Better than mine, at least."

Kosuke furrows her brows as she reaches for a teapot. "Not enjoying college life already?"

"Hm? Oh, no, I meant my first year at Ouran four years ago." She sighs. "I broke a vase worth eight million yen."

"That's lovely." Kosuke sets the teapot back down and asks, "How did that work out for you?"

Haruhi rubs the back of her neck. Looking away from Kosuke, she explains, "I'll save you the details, but basically, I had to join the Host Club to repay the debt."

Kosuke's eyebrows rise at that. Given, she hasn't seen much of Haruhi, but nothing she has said or done have given her any indication that she's unhappy with being in the Host Club.

"And you still haven't paid it off yet?"

"Well, I joined the Host Club to pay off the debt, but I stayed because it's actually great being a part of it." She laughs in a scoff. "I wouldn't have said that the first few weeks, trust me, but I guess everyone grew on me."

Kosuke smiles and teases, "Especially Tamaki?"

Haruhi's cheeks go pink as she chuckles. "Yeah, especially Tamaki."

They both look at Tamaki's "station" across the room. He's seated amongst a ring of girls, all of whom are staring at him with hearts in their eyes. He's speaking with his telltale charming smirk, but pauses, as if sensing that he's being watched. His purple eyes turn over to them, and he waves ecstatically, with a grin split across his face. Haruhi and Kosuke wave back.

"Hey, Haru-chan!"

Hani comes bounding up to them then, dressed in a suit not unlike Haruhi's, but rosy pink in color. He's holding a stuffed pink rabbit in his arms. Kosuke hadn't noticed it before.

He's already smiling when he stops in front of them. His eyes turn to Kosuke, and she feels her blood sugar soar again. "Hi, Kosu-chan! How's your first day going?"

She hasn't been called 'Kosu-chan' since elementary school, but she doesn't mind. "Fine. How are you?"

A bigger smile, higher blood sugar. "Great! Oh, hey!" He holds up the pink rabbit to her. "You didn't get to meet Usa-chan, did you?"

Kosuke takes 'Usa-chan's' paw and shakes it gently. "Hello, Usa-chan."

Hani giggles, and when Kosuke lets go of Usa-chan's paw, he brings it back to his chest. "Usa-chan says he likes you!"

It's bizarre how happy that makes her, how… _blessed._ She brings a hand to her cheek, a nervous tic of hers, and murmurs, "Thank you…!"

Haruhi speaks up, "Is there something you need?"

Hani blinks at her. "Hm?" His lips form an 'O', and he giggles again. "Oh, yeah! Here."

He waves his hand forward, and Kosuke only then notices Mori walking up to them. He looks the same as usual: cool and stone-faced. His suit is a deep blue color, with his tie looped rather sloppily around his neck.

When he comes to them, Mori extends his hand. At first, Kosuke thinks he's handing Haruhi something, but then she notices the tear at his cuff.

"Takashi has a hole in his blazer," said Hani. "We were hoping you could sew it up."

Haruhi nods and reaches into the back pocket of her slacks. "Yeah, give me a second."

She pulls out a small plastic box just a bit bigger than her palm. She opens it, and inside, buttons, pins, needles, tweezers, a tiny pair of scissors, and a flat spool with several colors of thread are pressed into it.

She takes out a needle and the spool and pulls at the dark blue thread. She does it with experienced speed, only pausing to place the box onto the table.

All eyes are on her as she lifts the needle close to her eye, squeezing the other shut, and slowly lifts the thread—

"KYOYA!"

Haruhi jumps at the sudden, loud appearance of a certain blond right behind her. Tamaki's sparkling violet eyes are staring down at Haruhi's hands in wonder, but he's waving his arm so quickly it's turned into a blur.

Haruhi lets out a shaky glare and gives Tamaki a light glare. "Tamaki, don't make me jump when I'm holding a needle!"

Tamaki stops as still as a statue. Kosuke blinks, and Tamaki is tenderly holding Haruhi's hand with the eyes of a scolded puppy.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" he almost whimpers.

Haruhi blinks a few times. She shakes her head, still surprised and looking almost guilty. "No, no, you just scared me, is all."

Tamaki lets out a gush of air. "Thank goodness." Then he's back to waving his arm. "KYOYA!"

"I'm right here." He pushes his glasses up his nose as he steps between Mori and Kosuke. His suit is violet, but whereas the others' look at least slightly worn, his has no creases or wrinkles to see. "I hope whatever is happening is important enough for everyone to leave the customers."

Kosuke doesn't really see how that's a problem—practically every girl in the room has come forward to stand around them. They're just as transfixed on the needle as Tamaki is.

"Kyoya, look!" Tamaki points at the needle in Haruhi's hand with both of his index fingers. "It's a needle from one of those miniature sewing kits I told you about! _Oh, look!"_

He snatches up the box from the table and holds it close to his face. Everyone pushes closer to get a better look.

"It's amazing," whispers Tamaki. "It's everything a tailor needs in a tiny little box."

A murmur of wonder rises up from the girls. 'How convenient!' 'So smart!' 'How do they do it?'

"It's an amazing trick that commoners have," Tamaki says. "They make things tiny without making them useless! Look, Kosuke—isn't it astounding?"

Haruhi purses her lips and sighs. She doesn't appear annoyed, just…used to it. "Tamaki, it really isn't that big of a—"

Kosuke asks, "Does it come with all of the stuff inside of it?" She leans closer, eyes wandering over the contents of the box. "Or do you just buy the box and buy everything else individually?"

Tamaki whispers, "That's a good question."

Kosuke looks up at Haruhi. Although not nearly on the same level of Tamaki's, her eyes are sparkling with wonder as well. "Where can you buy mini-scissors?"

Tamaki turns to Haruhi. "Yes, where?"

Haruhi sighs.

* * *

The rest of the day continues uneventfully. Kosuke leaves the Host Club (sometime after Haruhi gives a presentation on how sewing kits work), walks around campus for a time, eats dinner, and unpacks her luggage. She talks to some people, including some of her photography classmates, and takes a few pictures while she's around campus.

She spends some time just moseying about in her room. She tidies up, reads a bit of a book, plugs up her laptop and connects it to her camera to tinker with some photographs.

After completing another photograph with a few more shading effects and filters, she shuts her laptop and sighs. She can hear voices and music coming from one of Renge's gam— _visual novels,_ but not much else. She drums her fingers on the desk.

She feels…Well, she doesn't know. Disappointed? No…

"Unprepared?" she guesses aloud. She shrugs.

She knows it's only the first day, and classes haven't even started yet, but there's some sense of blankness that she can't shake off. She's seen the other freshmen around campus—they've already joined clubs, made new friends, made plans for the weekend. She hasn't. She knows it's a dumb thing to complain about—again, she just got here—and she normally wouldn't mind. It's just that it feels like she's behind. Like she should already have things figured out.

Ah, well. It isn't that big of a deal. Besides, who knew? Maybe a club was looking out for a photographer.

She dresses in her pajamas, brushes her teeth, combs her hair and whatever else and climbs into bed. The room is glowing blue from the television, but it's dim enough that she doesn't mind.

…But the voices do. The visual novel is fully voiced, and when she's not hearing the occasional creak of a door or the pitter-pat of footsteps, she's hearing a guy speak, chuckle, or laugh.

She tries to ignore it. She's gone to sleep with sound before.

And then there's a fight scene. She's not looking, but she can tell by the sudden shouts, grunts, and clashes of swords. They ring out in the room.

She ignores it for three more minutes, and then she rolls over. "Renge?"

No response. Renge is completely submersed in the television.

"Renge?"

Still no response. Kosuke groans as she throws back the blankets and trudges over to Renge. Her roommate only notices her when she stands directly in front of the television.

"Can you please turn it down a bit?"

Surprisingly, Renge nods and hums, "Mm-hm!"

She picks up the remote beside her and taps it several times until the volume is half of what is used to be.

Kosuke smiles at her gratefully, murmurs "Thank you!", and returns back to her bed. She pulls her blankets up to her chin and closes her eyes, ready to drift away and—

"Yes, I understand."

Kosuke's eyes flutter back open. Did Renge say something?

She just hears the hushed voice of one of the boys on the television. So she shrugs and closes her eyes again.

"But isn't there something else we can do?"

Okay, she definitely hears something this time.

She rolls over just enough to look over at Renge. Her eyes are still trained on the television, but Kosuke only now notices her lips moving.

"But what about sensei? Can't he do anything?"

Kosuke's eyes go to the television, even though it stings. Other than the boy, there's a paragraph of text on the screen, and Renge speaks every second of it. Passionately, too, and especially loud now that the volume has gone down.

Kosuke groans to herself and pulls her pillow over her head. It only slightly drowns out Renge's voice.

 _Ding-ding!_

This sound comes from her phone rather than the television. She reaches out for it, fingers fumbling across the nightstand, and she winces when its light glares in her face.

 **From:** Okie-Dokie  
 **Hey! Sorry it's so late I forgot to text you earlier ;^-^ How is Ouran?**

Kosuke flinches when Renge gasps suddenly and loudly. There's hushed gasps of pain from the television, and Renge is suddenly whimpering "No, no, no, no!"

Kosuke sighs and taps on the buttons of her phone.

 **To:** Okie-Dokie  
 **Fantastic!**


	4. A Series of Peculiar Events P1

The first few days at Ouran were nothing to write home about. Between classes, homework, and photography, Kosuke was still trying to figure out how her schedule would work day-to-day. Not helping thing was the fact that the Ouran campus was big enough to be its own country. Much confusion and foot sores ensued.

Something of interest did happen on the Friday after, however.

First and foremost, and explanation:

The majority of classes at Ouran had their own respective classrooms. Whole lot of classes, country-sized campus. There were a few exceptions to this, one of them being Business Management and Photography. On Fridays, Business Management and Photography classes were held just an hour apart.

Kosuke's phone had no decorated cases or charms on it. It still looked like it just came out of the box.

Kosuke sat third row from the front, middle seat.

You can maybe see where this is going.

As it went, Kosuke had been sitting in her usual seat when the class was dismissed for the evening. As she stood up, she noticed a phone on the floor beneath her seat. Identical to hers, plain white and undecorated. Her phone had the bad habit of slipping out of her satchel, so she just made an assumption when she grabbed it and stuffed it into her pocket.

So, fast-forward to later that evening. Kosuke is alone, in her dorm, flipping through photographs on her camera. She has her headphones on, a half-empty box of Pretz on her belly (crumbs on her lips), her boots kicked off onto the floor. It was a boring picture, but as close as it was to dinnertime, she didn't want to leave the dorm.

She hears a _ding_ past the music in her earsand reaches for her satchel. She fishes her phone out of the front pocket and checks it, but it's just a reminder from a game app. She tosses it back with a scoff.

But, as she sits back, something shifts in her back pocket. And, sure enough, it's another phone. As if to think clearer, Kosuke slips her headphones down to her neck.

Looking at them side-by-side, they are identical. Exact carbon copies of each other, until she turns them both on. One has a background of her and her sister, the other a picture of a sherbet sunset.

"…Cripes."

She sits up, setting her camera aside with a sigh. She needed to turn this in to the front desk of the dormitory, but she also needed to tell this person that she had found the phone to begin with. It was only the polite thing to do.

She picked up her phone and brought up the number pad.

"I'll just go ahead and call them to let them know."

And of course, the other phone started ringing in her hand.

…

Sometimes her own stupidity made her cringe.

But, once she silenced the other phone, a notice of a text message took up the screen. Without really thinking, she tapped on it.

 **From:** Unknown number  
 **Hello?**

She didn't know whether to reply or not. She wasn't the person they were looking for. Should she ignore it or send back an explanation?

 _Ding._

 **U know that message is checkmarked, right**

She purses her lips. "Ah."

 _ **Sorry, but I'm not the person you're looking for. Got the wrong phone, will give it back soon. ^-^;**_

 **Well thats my phone  
so yeah u r the person Im looking 4**

 _ **Oh. My apologies.**_

 **U havent gone thru my stuff have u**

 _ **Just found out I had the wrong one.  
Business Management, right?**_

 **Yeah  
Photography?**

 _ **Yup. Same seat, I guess.**_

 **Think i could get my phn back?**

 _ **I was going to turn it in to the front desk.**_

 **Pls dont.**

… _ **Why?**_

 **They lose like half the stuff they get  
Theres a reason I got a spare phn**

 _ **Ah, I see. (._.)  
Are you living on campus? I could meet you outside and hand it over.**_

 **Nope ill have to get it Monday**

 _ **Sorry! ^-^;  
Our phones are twins. I thought mine just slipped out of my bag.**_

 **No biggie  
i can tell u where/when to go Monday **

_**Okay. I promise I won't go through your stuff. :**_

 **In my defense i don't kno u**

 _ **True. I'll keep it safe, though.**_

 **Thnks**

 _ **No problem. O(^-^)o**_

They don't reply any further than that.

* * *

So, the next day: Without any classes, Kosuke decides that it would be the perfect day to catch the school bus and take a stroll through the local area. Maybe shop around some. Maybe buy more Pretz or Pocky, or grab a mochi stand, because there was no such thing as "not enough sugar". So, come twelve, she was getting ready to leave. Ouran ID handy, satchel on her hip, camera around her neck.

Kosuke doesn't know that someone is waiting for her in the lobby, nor does she know _the_ someone that is waiting for her in the lobby, nor does the someone in the lobby know that she is waiting for Kosuke. The girl in question has silvery blond hair as straight as a needle and cool blue eyes framed in thick lashes. With it being the weekend, she isn't dressed in the Ouran uniform, instead wearing a shimmering gold tank top and jeans.

When Kosuke comes down the stairs, Her Greatest Enemy, she hardly spares the girl a glance. She seems deep in thought to Kosuke. Like she's considering whether or not she truly wants to do something. So of course, Kosuke has no rhyme or reason to come to this contemplating stranger.

The girl, at first, only gives Kosuke a fleeting look. Plenty of girls had come and gone in the past hour, but every time she thinks to speak to them, her foot gets caught in her throat. She isn't wholly sure what she's doing, and the thought of seeking these girls out for help is both embarrassing and maybe too creepy. None of those girls have struck her as a photographer, either, although she doesn't know what a photographer would look like. Unless they had a camera, obviously.

Like that chick— _OH!_

Her eyes dart back to the (literal) redhead. Yes, there it is, a high-quality camera hung around her neck, bumping against her chest.

Kosuke is approaching her fast, and the girl still doesn't know what to say.

"Hi, can I talk to you for a minute?" Eh, boring.

"Hey, could you help me with something?" Mmm…Too invasive. She doesn't know her.

"Hey, what's your name? I need you to do something for me." Creepy.

Kosuke puts a hand on the door.

So, the girl just grabs the back of Kosuke's dress and pulls.

Instantly, an arm comes slicing toward her.

The girl leaps back with a yelp. Kosuke has her feet apart and her arms poised to strike. The girl waits her to stop, but Kosuke doesn't. Instead, her blue eyes dart up and down the girl's form, either waiting for her to move or searching for a weapon.

The girl puts on an open smile. "Hi!"

At the least, Kosuke's fists relax into knifehands. "Hello."

"Sorry to frighten you, I was just wondering if you could help me with something."

As quickly as a light switch, Kosuke straightens up with a grin. "What is it?"

"Well, first, let's introduce ourselves, huh?" The smile on the girl's face is proud, borderlining cocky, but bright all the same. Kosuke is struck with the image of a certain chairman's son. "My name is Kasano Banaritai. People call me Kasa."

"My name is Kosuke Nakahara. People call me Kosuke…Nakahara."

"Well, it is _fantastic_ to meet you, Kosuke. Can I call you Kosu?"

Hesitantly, "Eh…"

"How about Ko?"

Deeper, "Ehhh…"

"How about Koko?"

Flatly, _"Yes."_

"Great. Well, Koko, I noticed that camera you have there. You take pictures often? A photographer, maybe?"

"Yes and yes." Kosuke lifts up the camera and taps the flash button. "Doooo you want a photograph?"

"No, I—" The camera flashes in her face. "Okay. I was actually going to ask if you could do a favor for me, photography-wise."

"You're not going to ask me to follow someone around and take pictures of them, are you?"

"What? No. Has someone asked you to do that before?"

"…No."

"Okay…so, listen," Kasa wraps an arm around Kosuke's shoulders. The gold bangles on her wrist clink together (momentarily distracting Kosuke) while she raises the other hand to her face to look at her manicured fingernails. "You're a young, pretty girl."

Though Kasa does not notice, Kosuke gives off a flattered glow. You can probably spot sweet flowers floating off of her form.

"I could use that."

The glow snuffs out. Kosuke inches away from Kasa.

"Do you know anything about the Host Club, Koko?"

"Yes. I've met them all. It's actually a really funny story—"

"I'm on a tight schedule."

Kosuke deflates and Kasa continues.

"Okay, so the Host Club. They're open from one to three on the weekends, and I was just wondering if maybe you could maybe snap a few pictures of them in their element? Not following them out of the club or anything, just what they're doing. Flirting, seducing, whatever they call it."

"Would they be okay with that?"

"If you asked, I'm sure they would be. Just don't mention why or my name or that you're even doing it for anyone at all."

"Those rules make this sound…questionable. Are you sure this is okay? And legal?"

"If they say yes, then yes." She brushes a length of soft hair over her shoulder. Her smile doesn't drop for a moment.

"So why don't you do it your—"

Kosuke jumps back as Kasa collapses to her knees. With her face tilted down, the girl's hair curtains her face from view. Kosuke stares down at Kasa's trembling hands. They are clasped together at Kosuke's belly, as if she has become a statue of the Virgin Mary.

"Please." Kasa's voice is hardly a whisper. "I need your help, please! I'm hopeless!"

Kosuke sputters over her words. "Okay, okay! I'll help!" She flaps her hands around dumbly. "Rise!"

Kasa jumps up to her feet with the grace of a swan. The blinding smile had returned. "Thanks! Meet me back here at around eight or so, m'kay? 'Preciate it."

She blew Kosuke a kiss with an audible "mwah". And with that, she flitted out of the door, bright and quick as a flame. Kosuke was left in the silence.

"What the heck did I just agree to?"

* * *

Usually, when people open a door…They just open a door. No fanfare, no surprises. They just _open a door._

So, opening the door to the Ouran Host Club, Kosuke does _not_ expect the flurry of rose petals that come at her from bright white light. She sputters and swats them away from her face, striking a sort of ninja pose. She just barely hears five voices singing "Welcome" in perfect unison.

"Oh! It's Kosuke."

It's Haruhi who says it, but it's Tamaki who comes up to her. He definitely looks…different. He has a (probably real) golden crown on his head and a heavy red cloak lined in white fur across his shoulders. That, and the scepter in his hand, gives the perfect image of a king. Looking past him, Kosuke sees that everyone else looks pretty similar, in robes and cloaks and jewels. They all look like they've come straight from a medieval court.

Tamaki points his scepter at her with a grin. "I knew you'd return to us! Admit it." He holds his head high, and the air around him shimmers. "You can't resist us. We must have been consuming your every thought."

"…Sure."

And there goes that shimmering prince, replaced with a delighted puppy. "Really?!"

Kosuke's eyes move past his head to the people behind him. The others are just watching the scene play out, but Haruhi's brown eyes lock with hers. Haruhi gives her the tiniest of nods in Tamaki's direction.

Kosuke tries to match Tamaki's smile. "Yes…?"

"Behold, gentlemen." There is hardly a second between Tamaki standing before her and Tamaki standing beside her. With his hand on her opposite shoulder, he says to the others. "A newcomer to infatuation."

Is he really okay with…um…'charming' her in front of Haruhi like this? But wait…this is his job as a Host. Haruhi has to be okay with this, right?

Tamaki winks at Haruhi. She rolls her eyes, but her lips tug upwards.

That answers it.

Hani steps forward then, all bright eyes and bright smiles. In his silver armor and helmet tucked beneath his arm, he's clearly a (very small) knight. As is Takashi, although his costume is simpler, without a fancy insignia or feather on his helmet. She also can't be positive as to why everyone looks like they just jumped out of a medieval history book.

Hani asks, "So who are you here to see, Kosu-chan?"

"Actually…" Kosuke taps on her camera. "I was hoping to get some pictures of you guys while you work. If that's okay with you."

The clap of Tamaki's hands makes her jump. "Of course! How flattering, wanting to capture us in our element."

"Cool!" Hani turns to his much taller, Kosuke-still-can't-believe-is-the-same-age cousin with a bounce. "Takashi, we get to have our pictures taken by a photographer!"

Mori hums. Maybe that's supposed to be a compliment.

Haruhi just smiles politely, but Kyoya leans forward. He's wearing snowy robes long enough to brush dust against the floor. He also has a string of beads with a wooden cross around his neck. He's not wearing the tall hat, but Kosuke thinks he's supposed to be a priest, if anything. He's still wearing the glasses, however, and shifts them as he looks her up and down.

"For what?" he asks.

Kosuke hesitates. On the one hand, Kasa _did_ ask her not to tell. On the other hand, taking pictures of someone to give to another person without them knowing sounded a bit too disturbing to her. Maybe illegal. They may know Kasa, but they may not. What if Kasa's a paparazzo in disguise, or a stalker? A fangirl obsessed with taking photographs of them for a collection? Or a member of some weird newspaper club determined to make the Host Club look bad?

She has to fall on some middle ground.

"Someone's too shy to come see the Host Club in person. She wanted pictures to know what it was like first."

Kyoya purses his lips, but everyone else accepts it without another thought. Hani nods happily. Mori shrugs.

Tamaki, in fact, takes a gentle hold of her wrist. With long strides, he whisks her away from the others, who disperse like they were expecting him to do so. He doesn't notice that Kosuke has to stumble like a child to keep up with him. In fact, he walks without opening his eyes.

"Well, let's give your friend what she wants, yes? Let me show you how it works. Now, tell me what you remember about…" His fingers run through his gold bangs. "Yours truly?"

Kosuke repeats like she's memorized his stats. She can almost see his character profile appear before her. "President of the Host Club, age twenty—"

"Twenty-one now."

"—twenty one, son of the Ouran chairman—"

Tamaki stops, but he still smiles. "No, what do you remember about me as a Host?"

"You're the…Princely Type, right?" He nods, pleased. "So you want girls to feel like princesses...However you do that."

A chuckle. "Just watch. Take some notes, if you wish."

* * *

If Kosuke had ever wondered how a Host Club, high school or college, could make so much money for what it offered, now she knew. The girls that sat around her at Tamaki's "station" remind Kosuke of historic Greek paintings of humans coming face-to-face with gods: utterly enthralled, almost dumbstruck, their faces frozen in wide-eyed wonder. All while she takes photographs of them and Tamaki.

One of the girls—perhaps the most confident, but she still fingers the hem of her tunic—says to Tamaki, "So what's a photographer doing here in the Host Club? A new addition?"

"No, not quite, my princess." Tamaki flicks his hand in my direction. "Though this _was_ my idea."

"What for?"

"Perhaps I wanted to remember this moment forever. Although…"

Tamaki, with the lightness of a feather, lifts the girl's chin up with the very tips of his fingers. The confidence in her face vanishes into wonder. The lightest flush gathers in her cheeks. The other girls hold their breaths, as if waiting for a finale.

Kosuke poises the camera.

"I would never forget a face like yours."

Kosuke didn't think it was possible to liquefy the human body with speech. She has been proven wrong, because the customers puddle down to the floor. Kosuke actually has to wipe some off of her dress.

Nevertheless, she snaps a photograph of Tamaki and the girl beside him before she is combusted, as well. In the image, he still has his fingers under her chin, violet eyes lidded and smile slight and charming. The girl's face is flushed rose and her lips are in a stunned smile. She hopes that the photograph makes it obvious what's going on.

Her phone vibrates in her back pocket. Well, no, not her phone. She takes it out anyway.

 **Hey do u kno how 2 make ramen actlly taste good**

She sets her camera down so she can reply.

 _ **Egg, ham, soy sauce, veggies, chicken, tofu, carrots, broccoli, peas, onion, bok choy. Sriracha, if you like spicy food, or swap out the broth for miso.  
You could also broil the noodles by taking it off the stove a few minutes before it's finished, draining the broth, and placing it in the oven so there's a crunchy layer on top with smooth noodles underneath.**_

 **i didnt mean 2 txt u srry  
but how do u kno so much about ramen**

 _ **My mother is a chef. B-)**_

 **how convenient 4 a cllg student**

 _ **Yeah, no, my blood is 80% grease, 10% sugar at this point.**_

 **the other 10%?**

 _ **Blood. I'm still alive. B:-)**_

 **u seem 2 kno what ur talking abt so ill just go with that  
miso it is then**

 _ **May your noodles be the best. :)**_

* * *

Within five seconds of sitting at their "station", Kosuke understands that Mori and Hani basically work as a pair. Though she believes that customers can ask for one-on-one sessions with either of them, most prefer to have the two together. A sort of foil compliment, so to say—Mori being the tall, brooding, intimidating figure, Hani the small, cheerful, inviting one, both joined together at the hip. Or so she understands.

The customers are eating it like cake, either way. Hani's every smile and laugh sends them into a fit of gushing. Mori is simply sitting there, eyes downcast and jaw set, and he still has girls mesmerized. Kosuke wouldn't be surprised if the girls have no idea she's even there.

One of the customers recovers from her giggling. Wiping a tear from her cheek, she hums, "Well, you're definitely the cutest knight I've ever met."

Hani's smile literally sparkles. "Thank you! What about Takashi?"

The girl hardly gets a glance at Mori before ducking her head. Her voice is small and she smooths out her dress as she replies, "Yes, him too…very cute…"

"But wait…" Hani pauses. His lips purse into a thoughtful pout. "Takashi isn't a knight, he's my squire."

"Ohhh." Another girl points a finger up. "So he's like a knight-in-training?"

"Yeah!"

A third customer giggles. "So how long does he have to work until he's knighted?"

"Wait…"

Hani gasps. His hands fly up to his cheeks, and the customers lean in, alarmed. Kosuke keeps the camera up.

"Takashi's practically been my squire for years! He should have been knighted FOREVER ago! Takashi, down on one knee!"

Mori doesn't hesitate. He slides off of the sofa and kneels down before Hani with his helmet held over his heart. The customers are hardly blinking as they watch.

Hani removes the plastic sword from his hip. His face and posture are of upmost seriousness. The pointed tip of the sword taps down on Mori's left shoulder, then his right.

"I, Haninozuka Mitsukuni, name you, Morinozuka Takashi, as my knight—from now to forever!"

Mori—and Kosuke already knows that this is a world wonder, it's so rare—smiles.

And the girls are done for. Unlike Tamaki, who had them in puddles, these girls lift into the air like balloons. They don't squeal so much as breath out delight. The shutter of Kosuke's camera blinks over and over.

And then she gets another text message.

 **THIS IS TERRIBLE! Y WOULD ANY1 EAT THIS EVER?**

 _ **? I thought you liked miso? Isn't that why you put it in the ramen?**_

 **This tastes like i just dumped saltwater in the bowl and boiled it!  
Im crying it hurts**

 _ **How much ramen was it? How much miso did you use?**_

 **1 cup ramen, 3 cups miso**

 _ **O-O ?! Of course it tastes like saltwater that's way too much miso!**_

 **How was i supposed 2 kno?!**

 _ **It's twice as much liquid for the amount of ramen! 1 cup of ramen, 2 cups of water or whatever.  
Also you must have some bad miso in general. **_

**i just looked the expiration date.  
the miso is like a year old  
i just poisnd myself**

 _ **X-X I was not an accomplice to this! I was just helping you make noodles!**_

* * *

Kosuke isn't really sure whether Kyoya is a _Hosting_ Host or not. She hasn't seen him sitting down with a customer yet, instead finding him writing notes down in a binder or typing away at a laptop. Understandable, as a financial adviser, but during Host Club hours?

Tamaki had described him as the "Cool Type, for straightforward, intelligent conversation", but none of the customers seemed brave enough to approach. She had seen him socializing the other day, but maybe that was just because it was the first day of the school year. Every now and then, Kosuke could catch a girl's eyes sliding over to Kyoya, curious and appreciating and considering...and then she'd blush, duck her head, and turn away, as if scolding herself.

Not that Kyoya is scary (even though Kosuke was sure he hated her for a while), so to speak. He's just as stunningly attractive as the other Hosts. And the air around him didn't scream "stay away from me". Kosuke can't really put it into words, but it's like Kyoya is always in his own world and talking to him was invading into it.

But she does.

"So…" Kosuke tries to gather her words. The keys beneath Kyoya's fingers click away as she does. "Are you a member of the Host Club, just…not really a Host?" More to herself: "How does that work…?"

Without sparing her a glance, Kyoya replies, "If a customer asks for my service, I give it. But I am also the financial adviser, and not many customers ask to speak to me, so I use Hosting hours to get to work."

Aw.

Oh wait, she just said "aw" out loud.

Kyoya stops just long enough to flick his hand at her. His lips crease for just a split second. "Don't. I'm just not the most advertising Host of the Club."

He stops typing again and slowly lifts up a fist. Kosuke watches, waiting.

At the exact moment that Kyoya points up a finger, a chorus of squeals comes from Tamaki's station.

Kyoya returns to his laptop.

Girls are still watching Kyoya from afar, not that he has noticed. In a moment of quick thinking—Kosuke likes to call them Moments of Quick Thinking™—Kosuke steps beside Kyoya and kneels down.

She gets the image just the way she wants it: Kyoya, from the shoulders up, is to the left of the frame. Behind his glasses, his sharp gray eyes are downcast to the screen. The customers are in clear view behind him, to the right of the frame. Three of them. One is bent towards another to whisper.

Steady, click, satisfaction.

"Kosuke?" Kyoya asks. He still hasn't looked up at her.

Still kneeling, she looks up from the camera. "Yes?"

"If I'm not Hosting, what help am I giving your friend?"

"Um…not sure."

His hand slides up over the lens of the camera.

"Then don't take pictures of me."

He doesn't say anything else. Kosuke nods to him and slides away. The conversation is over. She can feel a bead of sweat rolling down her temple.

Lo and behold, another message.

 **ok not that im sure i should trust u now but how do u eat ramen**

 _ **Personally: chicken, peas, egg, maybe some broccoli if I have some. Maybe soy sauce if I'm feeling like it. o3o**_

 **Egg?**

 _ **Yeah. It's good, trust me.**_

 **Y? i dont know anything about u**

 _ **I don't like miso.  
Unlike some people.**_

 **Ha ha ha  
i hope my sarcasm is clear through txt**

* * *

Kosuke has been able to get some glimpses of the other Hosts throughout the play, wherever she had been. The Hosts, whatever tactics or "Types", all have something in common: they can get the girls blushing quite easily.

And although the same can be said for Haruhi, she doesn't _aim_ for it like the others. Yes, every now and then, customers would flush and duck their heads and giggle. But for the most part, they simply looked comfortable in her presence.

Haruhi, in a break between her customers, invited Kosuke to sit with her over a cup of coffee. Kosuke immediately gets how Haruhi works for customers. She's open and easy to talk to. She notices when you're not sure what to say next and offers the next sentence herself. You don't have to worry about feeling awkward around her.

And because of this, Haruhi and Kosuke easily slip into a conversation about something they both feel strongly about:

Sushi.

Kosuke: "But yeah, it's really sad that Boston Rolls aren't as popular here as they are in the West. Like, I know it's not traditional or anything, but it's still really good."

Haruhi: "It sounds good. I still haven't really tried _that_ many types of sushi yet, though…I really like…Oh, what's it called? Sake…With the salmon…?"

"Sake nigri?"

"Yeah, that! That one's probably my favorite."

"Oh, you haven't tried temarizushi yet, have you?"

"No…What is that?"

"It's sushi molded into balls."

"What, like snowballs?"

"Yes!"

"Wh—That sounds amazing!"

"It is!"

Kosuke's not-phone rings again. Kosuke reaches into her satchel, murmuring, "Excuse me real quick."

The conversation through their messages had gone so far:

 **ok do u RLLY put egg in ur ramen**

 _ **Yeah. It's good, I promise. O(^-^)o**_

 **ok but is it safe? i thought that gives u salmonella or whatever**

 _ **? It shouldn't. Have you ever gotten salmonella from scrambled eggs?**_

 **Oh.**

Now Kosuke's fingers pause over the letters. Slowly, one by one, she types back:

 _ **You didn't think I put raw egg in my ramen, did you?**_

"Something wrong?"

Kosuke turns the screen off and looks back up at Haruhi. She shakes her head and explains, "No—I just grabbed someone's phone by accident yesterday. They were just checking in."

Kosuke picks up her teacup—coffecup?—and takes a sip. Haruhi does the same.

Kosuke pauses. Her face falls into a frown.

"I refuse to believe you got this from a can of powder."

Haruhi clicks her tongue. "It's the same as regular coffee; the beans are just ground already." Under her breath, "Why is this so hard to understand?"

The phone rings again.

 **we already estblshd that i kno 0 abt u  
other than u don't like miso**

 _ **Why would anyone put raw egg in any of their food, ever? I'm still alive! -_-**_

 **as far as I kno**

Kosuke rolls her eyes. She's smiling, nonetheless.

 _ **You caught me. I'm not really alive.  
Ramen advice from the afterlife, yo.**_

Kosuke and Haruhi down the rest of their coffee. Haruhi sighs in satisfaction. Kosuke glares down at her empty cup.

Haruhi sighs. "If I show you how it works, will you be happy?"

Kosuke perks up like a daisy. "Yes!"

"Come along."

Haruhi grabs both of their cups and stands to her feet. Kosuke scoots her chair back maybe a bit too loudly and bounces after her like a little kid.

Haruhi leads her to a small silver table near the back wall of windows. There's already a teapot of hot water and painted China cups, but instead of a coffee grinder, there's a small plastic can of black powder waiting. Kosuke at first mistakes it for black pepper.

"Okay, so it's simple…" But then Haruhi pauses. With a tsk, she cranes her head around the table. "Okay, where'd I put the spoon at?"

Kosuke hardly hears her. She's taking a few photographs of the Club in its expanse. A snap of Tamaki's group, then Kyoya's "group", then Hani and Mori's...

Kosuke pauses. Four. Still four groups.

She lets her camera fall against her chest. "Hey, Haruhi, can I ask you a question? I mean, can I ask another question? I mean, can I ask another, another—"

"Go ahead."

"There's supposed to be seven of you guys, right? How come I haven't seen the other two yet? It's been months."

Kosuke isn't facing her, but she can feel Haruhi pause. The older brunette clicks her tongue. Another pause.

"Well…"

"Is it something you're not supposed to talk about?"

"No, it's just really complicated and really personal. They're still part of the Club; they just kind of come and go as they please now. Sometimes they talk to us, sometimes they don't. It's a long story."

"Are they still enrolled at Ouran? How are they not missing class?"

"Online, I think. Not too sure…Oh, here's the spoon!"

The interest in the miracle of instant coffee overpowers the mystery of the other members. Kosuke slides right up to Haruhi, shoulder-to-shoulder, even though Haruhi has yet to do anything.

The brunette grabs one of the China cups and sets it between them. She then takes the can of brownish-black powder, twists the cap, and hands it to Kosuke. She takes it into her fingers like delicate porcelain…or a weapon.

"Okay, so all you have to do is put a little of it in the cup. Go ahead."

Kosuke's blue eyes flicker between the can and the cup. This is so weird…There's an opening for the coffee in the cap. Not wide open, just a bunch of holes for it, like a glass of pepper.

Oh!

Kosuke turns the can upside down and shakes it over the cup.

The stuff ends up flying everywhere, into the cup, the saucer, and the table. Haruhi is quick to grab her hands and stop her.

"No, no, no!" Once the can has safely returned to the table, Haruhi sighs. "You failed step one."

"Aw…"

"Attention, young ladies!"

It's suddenly so quiet; Kosuke swears she hears an actual pin drop. Every single person, Host or customer or photographer, has turned their gaze to Tamaki Suoh. He stands in the middle of the Music Room and claps his hands together even though the room is already silent. For emphasis, Kosuke guesses. It works.

"The Club is officially closed for this evening. We thank you all for coming, and we welcome you back forever and always!"

This is met with a symphony of gratitude and farewells. En mass, the customers rise from the sofas and chairs. Even on a Saturday, the crowd is a large one. They bow, laugh, and give thanks to the Hosts, who do the same in return. The goodbyes and farewells go on for a solid thirty seconds. Beyond the door to the Music Room, the girls whisper and squeal to one another. Recapping their sessions, Kosuke guesses.

Kosuke moves quickly. She pulls a moist towelette from her satchel and wipes down the table with brisk swipes. Once everything is clear and the towelette is spotted with black, she balls it up and dunks it into the garbage can.

Kosuke turns to a half-impressed, half-surprised Haruhi and bows.

"I will decipher the enigma of _instant coffee_ later. Thank you for helping, I appreciate it."

Haruhi bows back. She's smiling, though whether out of pure bafflement or amusement, Kosuke isn't sure.

She waves to Haruhi one last time and turns on her heel. As she walks to the door, she pulls the phone out of the satchel pocket to see if she's received a reply.

 **i knew there was something sspcs abt u**

' _ **Sspcs'? S:-(**_

"Kosuke, you wait just a second!"

The snap of Tamaki's voice stops her like a pause button. She almost walked straight into his arm, outstretched to stop her.

With his elbow at her nose, she looks up at him. His eyebrows are furrowed, eyes narrowed, lips turned down. He's _angry._ About something. With her? The heck?!

She _does_ manage to stop herself from saying "The heck" out loud, thank goodness.

"Yessssss…?"

Tamaki shakes his head with a scoff. Somehow, even with them flying back and forth, his bangs fall back against his forehead with perfection. Not that Kosuke even knows why she's paying so much attention to his hair.

Tamaki replies with a snap, "I cannot believe you were going to just waltz out of here—"

Oh, right, they expect her to pay. This was still a Club-operating hour; she shouldn't have expected a free ride just because she has a camera. But she doesn't know how much meeting with all of the Hosts cost, so she may not have—

"—without letting us look at the photos!"

"Oh!" Kosuke fumbles around with the strap, but gets the camera off of her neck quickly. She gives it to Tamaki, but as both of their hands are on it, she whispers, _"Be careful with my baby."_

Tamaki nods with upmost sincerity and turns the screen to him. Behind him, the other Hosts appear in one mass, practically rising up from the floor to look over his shoulder. Once Tamaki has figured out the 'controls', so to speak, he clicks through the pictures one-by-one. He, Hani, and Haruhi 'ooh' and 'ah' appreciatively. Hani, perched on Mori's shoulders, sometimes points at the camera to point out a specific detail. Mori hums once. Kyoya readjusts his glasses.

After a minute—Tamaki seems to linger on the photographs of him, and even longer on the picture of a smiling Haruhi—the camera is given back to Kosuke. Hani applauds with his small hands.

"Those are incredible pictures, Kosuke." Kosuke's heard compliments for her work before, all appreciated, but something in the way Tamaki says it makes her blush. "You have an excellent eye."

In her mind, she can't choose between "Thank you" and "Thank you very much".

So she ends up squeaking, "Thank you much."

"But, when you see your friend again, why don't you tell her to come here herself? There's nothing to be afraid of."

"I will!"

Haruhi leans to Tamaki and whispers something to him. Tamaki perks up and nods before turning back to Kosuke.

"And why don't you come back again sometime? We're going to be starting something new this year, and I think you'd enjoy it~."

Kosuke sends him a thumbs-up. "That sounds ambiguous, but I will!"

She finally turns on her heel for the door. "Ba-bye!"

There's a small exchange of goodbyes and see-you-laters before she finally shuts the door.

In the wide hall around the Music Room, everything seems eerily quiet. Her flats tap against the marble tiles as she walks and wraps her camera back around her neck. She could either mosey around campus or take another bus into town for the little time she had before dinner. Or she could laze about her dorm, because nothing is always another option.

The ring of her phone is sharp in the silence.

 **Suspicious**

 _ **Why didn't you just say 'suspicious'?**_

 **its txting language**

 _ **Soooo not using vowels every now and then counts as a new language?**_

 **Yes.**

 _ **No, Pig Latin is a language.  
'Text language' is an excuse for laziness, ma buddy. (B-)**_

 **well im sorry 4 offndng the language expert**

 _ **Youyay onday'tay owknay anythingyay aboutyay emay.**_

 **?Wat?**


	5. A Series of Peculiar Events P2

Kosuke has never seen someone glow so brightly as Kasano Banaritai when she's given the SD card of photographs that Kosuke had promised her. Literally everything on her body is glimmering gold—it gives Kosuke floaters in her eyes afterwards. Not everyone in Ouran does this. Is this a special gift?

Kasa takes the card between her fingertips and smiles up at Kosuke and if isn't just the most blinding mouthful of pearls Kosuke's ever seen. "Thank you so much! You have my gratitude forever!"

"You are welcome. But are you _sure_ the Hosts will actually be okay with this?"

"Listen, Koko. I'm sure girls take photographs of them all the time, and you've got their permission. Did any of them seem upset?"

"Tamaki, Haruhi, and Hani were fine with it. Kyoya seemed suspicious, and Mori seemed…" Kosuke sets her face straight.

"They're always like that in rain or shine. You've done me a favor today, Koko. I will have to return the favor in the future."

"I will hold you to that." Kosuke pauses. She crosses her arms in an 'X' over her chest. "But not in a blackmail-ish way."

Kasa winks at her, a star dancing off of her aquamarine eye, and turns on her boot's heel. The movement causes her hair to twirl around her like a delicate veil. Kosuke's beginning to wonder if Kasa's made of the same Adonis matter that Tamaki is composed of.

"Thank you again!"

As she walks away, towards the stairs that lead to the second-floor lounge, Kosuke cups her hands around her mouth and calls, "Will our paths cross again?"

"I changed schedules. I'll see you in class on Monday."

"Oh. Okay, bye!"

Once Kasa has moved out of sight, Kosuke moves for the elevator. The sight of the stairs alone gives her war flashbacks now, she swears. It also stinks that she'll be spending yet another night holed up in the dorm, but it's too late to do much now, anyway. She hopes she's not turning into the college stereotype of the antisocial hermit striving on junk food and coffee.

Her phone buzzes in her pocket. She hits the elevator button and takes it out.

 **Ok quick qstion if youll let me**

 _ **Fire away, pardner.**_

 **wat year r u in? first?**

 _ **Yeeup. Just got here this week. Why do you ask? (:-|**_

 **Just curious. Got a frshmn vibe from u 4 sum rsn**

 _ **Is it because of my superior grammar skills? (:-)**_

 **No. Your maturity.**

 _ **Oh. o-o**_

 **Kidding**

 _ **I know ^-^  
So…what year are you in?**_

 **2nd in college, but ive been in Ouran since kndrgrtn.  
Wat r your thoughts so far**

 _ **Pink.**_

 **U get used to it.**

The elevator dinged its arrival as she huffed a laugh. While the doors slide open, her other phone buzzes. She tucks the first one away and pulls out the other.

 **From:** Okie-Dokie _  
_ _ **Hey! Hows your week been? Anything exciting going on?**_

 **To:** **Okie-Dokie  
Interesting things. ^3^ Wanna let me tell you about it?**

* * *

Sunday comes and goes like the wind. She _finally_ catches the bus into the city and spends almost all of the day there, strolling around and doing some window-shopping. There's a tiny store all about technology gear from televisions to Polaroids, and there's a Lily Bowl, too, though she expected that. Then came the arcade, a whole street dedicated to vendors and in-the-wall shops, tons of tourist spots, and a "kawaii café" that was basically what happened when you took a pastry café and threw up rainbows on it…Kosuke basically collapsed onto her bed once she got back.

But then it's Monday again, and Kosuke's sitting in her seat, waiting for class to begin. Mondays just so happened to have her morning and afternoon classes almost back-to-back, so God bless the teacher for letting students bring in whatever caffeine-pumped drinks needed. Kosuke is so out of it, honestly. Everyone's talking, but she can hardly make out anything, just complaints about schoolwork, night plans, and something about "…was here Friday, but didn't go to the…" and honestly Kosuke can't care less.

She pulls her-not-her phone and pulls up the conversation from the stranger. Her fingers tap against the letters at a snail's pace.

 _ **Already know when to meet you tonight? o.o**_

The door swings open, and Kosuke glances up at it without a thought.

It's a boy she doesn't know but knows is a fellow student. He's short (Kosuke wonders if this guy would come up to her shoulders) with circular spectacles and tangerine hair in a cowlick. He has freckles spattered like polka dots over his cheeks. He's shifting through a stack of papers in his hands and has a pen tucked behind his ear. He's by no means an ugly sight—he's really kind of cute in the awkward and dorky way that not many people can pull off. Kosuke is kind of reminded of when movies try to make an "ugly nerd" by taking a good-looking person and slapping some glasses and freckles on them.

Usually Kosuke would not think anything of a student walking into class, but because you just read a length paragraph about his physical appearance, you may guess that this student winds up being important. Kosuke doesn't know that, and only thinks otherwise when a familiar voice shouts "Aiku! Aiku!"

The poor boy hardly has time to react before he's slammed like a footballer. Kasa squeezes the boy like a python, never minding the fact that he nearly dropped his papers or that his glasses are now askew.

Kasa nuzzles the boy's head—he _really_ is short; his nose is muffled in her throat—and coos, "There you are, my precious dork."

When she finally releases him, Aiku pushes his glasses up his nose, flustered. He fumbles around with his papers as he replies, "What are you doing here? I thought you had another class right now."

Kasa pouts her pink lips and folds her arms over her purple uniform blazer. With outstanding skill, she makes her eyes water like a doe. "Do you not want to see me anymore? I thought you cared about me…"

"Kasa, come on!" Aiku sighs guiltily. He runs a hand through his hair, only mussing it up more. "You know I didn't mean it like that."

Kasa perks up like the flick of a light switch. You'd think Aiku just complimented her with her bright eyes and shining grin. "I know! I switched classes—didn't like Econ. Buuuut now I get to be with yoooooou!"

Aiku smiles at that. Not a big, ear-to-ear smile, just a warm, happy grin that pushes up his glasses. "Good. I'm glad."

And in that one second that he smiles at her, Kosuke sees the crack. The one, little splinter in Kasa's composure, not like how she'd broken down when she was begging on Saturday. Kasa's smile falters like she's trying not to lose it. She keeps herself doe-eyed, but her lower eyelids twitch. She's buffering like a slow computer. Kosuke can practically see a loading symbol on her forehead.

But then Aiku steps past her, on his way to his seat. The error is fixed. Kasa has returned to reality, but she's not smiling anymore. She stays where she stands for a minute, staring after Aiku with thoughtful eyes. Her lips purse; she tugs down the hem of her blazer. And maybe it's none of Kosuke's business, but she keeps watching as Kasa takes in a deep breath and glides to Aiku with new meaning.

She sits beside Aiku without taking her eyes off of him. He, meanwhile, has his green eyes downcast to the papers in his hands. He might not even notice Kasa's beside him.

Kasa's eyes change—half-lidded, seductive, sharp—and her lips lift into a smirk. She leans forward and props her chin on her hand.

Her voice is some melodious tone between a purr and a coo. "Aiku?"

Aiku tucks another pen behind his other ear. Pen-horned and intent on the papers, he just gives a hum of acknowledgment.

"Your hair is messed up."

Aiku hums again.

Kasa's manicured finger ever-so-gently lifts up Aiku's chin in her direction. Even so, his eyes still linger on his work for a few more seconds before he truly looks at her. Kosuke half-expected him to blush, stammer, and/or tense up. But he doesn't. Even though his and Kasa's noses are mere breaths away, he just looks right into her eyes.

Kasa hums, "Here."

Her other fingers ghost across his forehead to straighten the bangs falling into his eyes. Her eyes are still intense and still locked onto his.

When Kasa's fingers stop moving, she and Aiku are still staring at each other. And there's that crack again, blue eyes flickering down Aiku's face to his mouth and—

Aiku returns to his papers without so much as a blink. He's utterly unfazed. "Thanks."

Kasa still has her hands raised in the frame of his missing face. Slowly, she blinks, her fingers curl into her palms, and slowly set themselves in her lap. She scoots up her chair and crosses her legs. Her face is unreadable.

Class begins shortly thereafter. There's not much to do besides busy work, so the students are free to whisper among themselves. Kosuke is careful to keep working, yet her eyes drift back to Kasa and Aiku. Sheer curiosity.

Kasa digs her hand into her pocket. Her hand touches something—she stops, closes, her eyes, and takes a deep breath.

Then she spins to Aiku with eyes shinier than the sun and a summoned pink flush on her cheeks. The air around her seems to dance with flowers and sparkles and whatever else. Her hand swings her phone around so the bunny charm on it sways left-to-right, the little bell jingling.

"Hey, Aiku, look at my new phone charm!"

Aiku looks up at her, then the charm. His eyebrows furrow together, as if he's disappointed for a moment, but he still smiles. "Cute."

"And~?"

He pauses. "Very cute?"

She seems to catch onto his hesitance. She pouts again, keeps her eyes shiny as she half-glares at him. She looks like an angry bunny with her face like that. Her arms cross again. "What's wrong?"

"What? Nothing, I just—"

Before he can even finish, she's changed again, like he's just said the most hurtful thing in the world. Her eyes are trembling with incoming tears. Her lip begins to wobble. "You don't think I'm cute enough for it, do you? I bought this because I thought it would suit me…!"

"Wh—? No! No, no, no! You're very cute."

And there's the mouthful of pearls again. "Really?"

"Yeah."

Aiku reaches into his pocket and pulls something out—another phone charm. He dangles the string from his fingertips so the charm end swings back and forth. It looks like a silver peacock—the elegant feathers are tipped with tiny, colorful rhinestones where the 'eyes' would be.

"It's just that I got you this one yesterday 'cause I thought you'd like it. It's fine, though—don't worry about it. I'll give it to my mom or something."

He tucks the charm back into his pocket.

Kasa turns back to the front. Her face is blank. A bit blue.

She doesn't talk to him for a decent while. Her eyes are downcast to her work, but her chin is held high. Not angrily, just more contemplative than she'd been before. She occasionally tucks a strand of silvery hair behind her ear.

Eventually, Aiku pauses as he stares down at his work. His eyes squint, lips pursing. He turns to Kasa, holding up a sheet to her.

"Hey, I think the printer cut off number thirteen for me. What does yours say?"

Kasa doesn't say anything. She marks something on her paper.

"Kasa?"

Kasa tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.

" _Kasa."_

Aiku leans back a bit, perhaps offended. Kasa doesn't even blink. But she still doesn't seem angry with him. She's just so focused on her work, for some reason.

Aiku sighs and turns in his seat. In front of him, there's another girl, a short-haired brunette with thick eyelashes and naturally red lips. Her name is M-something, if Kosuke remembers correctly.

Aiku taps on her shoulder, and she turns around, eyelashes fluttering on her high cheekbones. Aiku gives her a small smile. "Hey, Midori? Can you tell me what—?"

Kasa shoves her paper in his face, wide-eyed and tense. "HERE."

Aiku takes the paper from her, taking it away from his face and readjusting his glasses. He doesn't even look in her direction, let alone ask what's wrong. He sets the paper beside his and bends his head down once again. "Thanks."

Midori looks at Kasa. The air around the blonde turns dark; her hair begins to lift. Midori turns back around.

Class is dismissed sooner than Kosuke expects. Students immediately take to their feet, grabbing their belonging, the chatting rising in volume. Aiku gathers up his things and he and Kasa walk side-by-side to the door. Kosuke is still watching them (for some reason) as she picks up her stuff as well.

Kasa clears her throat and asks, "So, do you want to hang out later?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah." Aiku adjusts his glasses even though he doesn't really need to, and gives her another small smile. "Love to."

She gives a real smile at that, but at the same time, Aiku's falters. For once, he actually looks her up and down, trying to find something. His fingers drum on his stack of papers.

"Are you okay? You're acting kind of…weird."

Kasa waves a hand at him. She's still wearing her bangle bracelets. "Don't know what you're talking about."

And maybe Kosuke's not the most perceptive person in the world, but in this one instance, she catches onto something. Kasa says it like she doesn't really mean it—kind of like she's hoping Aiku will catch on and pry a bit. Kosuke's done it before. She's tried to hint at things so people will give her a little nudge, a "Something wrong?" so she doesn't just drown them in a sudden rant.

Buuuut maybe Aiku's not the most perceptive person in the world, either, because he shrugs much too quickly. He gives her one last "See you later" before he walks away. His eyes are still on his work, not whatever is in front of him.

Kasa lingers behind. She's tensing up, pouting once again, her shoulders rising and her hands curling into fists. It's kind of a funny sight to see, but she's obviously upset. Perhaps on the verge of crying, perhaps on the verge of yelling. She either doesn't see or doesn't care that Kosuke's watching her, eyes still forward as if Aiku is still standing in front of her.

But then she just kicks her boot like she's kicking a pebble. Head down and arms limp, she trudges her way to and through the door.

And yes, Kosuke's confused. Interested and confused. Still, she knows that it's none of her business. Kasa is technically not her friend, and she may not appreciate Kosuke's confrontation of what's wrong. She's definitely not going to like her confronting Aiku, either. She should probably just stay out of it.

She then realizes that she hasn't checked her-not-her phone yet. Sure enough, the mysterious texter has responded.

 **not going 2 b there 2day. Mayb tmrw.**

 _ **Oh. Okay! UuU**_

* * *

 _ **3 3 3 Hey there Kosuke dear I believe I left my microphone on the nightstand could you be a dear and grab it for me and bring it to the Host Club~? Okay thank you really appreciate it 3 3 3**_

That's it. That's all she gets in the text message from Renge. She didn't even find out until the day before that Renge was the…narrator of the Host Club…? She was involved with them somehow.

Kosuke sighs and tucks her phone back into her pocket. So much for getting some photography time in this afternoon. How would Renge forget the microphone, anyway? Kosuke thought it was a special ability Renge had to pull it out of thin air, not a finite object. Maybe she'll get superpowers, too, if she stays at Ouran long enough.

(She says that out loud.)

She's walking through the labyrinth that is the Ouran hallways to try and find the blasted Music Room again. There are a few students passing by her, either going to or leaving classes. The female students seem particularly chatty about someone today, though Kosuke has no idea who. She only gets a few details, like "haven't seen him in so long" or "wonder what's been keeping him".

Her phone rings again.

 _ **Hey jst curious but have u gon 2 the Ouran Host Club yet?**_

 **Yeah, actually. Twice now. Why do you ask?**

' _ **JUST CURIOUS'**_

 **WHY ARE YOU CURIOUS.**

She's laughing as she hits the 'send' button.

Then she stops laughing when she runs into someone.

She and the other person both grunt as they collide, and the phone slips from Kosuke's fingers. She'd rounded a corner pretty sharply with her eyes still on the screen. Whoever the person is, they get shoved forward into another person.

Kosuke finally gets her senses together and brushes some stray red hair from her eyes to see the person better. Well, _people._ There's about seven girls huddled together in front of her, all wearing the same yellow skirts and purple blazers of the Ouran uniform. The oldest might be a senior student. They're formed in a semicircle around a classroom door, and Kosuke thinks that they might have been looking through the small window inside.

The girl she ran into—long dark hair, smoky eyeshadow—and the girl _that girl_ ran into—round eyes, rosy cheeks—both spin around to glare at her.

The brunette really tries to glare at her, but with the pout on her face, she looks more like a ruffled bird. "Watch it!"

"I'm—"

Another girl in the group—and it seems that they've all turned around to look at Kosuke now—speaks up, "We've been here longer than you have!"

"What are—?"

The senior student scoffs and tosses some hair behind her shoulder. "She's a freshman. They always think they come up with the idea to come early."

"…Why—?"

A particularly short student speaks up, "Guys, calm down. She didn't shoot you."

Another one says, "It was just an accident. Seriously."

The brunette huffs and turns her eyes back to Kosuke. She's still pouting. "You came to see him, right?"

Kosuke says nothing.

"What, are you stupid?"

"No, but I don't think you'll let me fin—"

"We _all_ came to see him," the girl continues. "Some of us have been waiting for over a half-hour."

One of the girls from before sighs. "Would you just drop it already? Seriously. You're acting like she committed treason. Stop picking on the newbies."

The brunette arches a perfect, sleek eyebrow at Kosuke. She looks her up and down, her eyes lingering on her port-wine stain. "You're a newbie. That explains it."

The girl farthest from Kosuke steps forward. As she does, it seems to draw the other girls closer, so they all have their backs to the door. "You're such a drama queen. Chill."

"If she's a newbie, then that means she probably only saw him today. Or maybe she heard about him or something."

"So?" someone asks.

" _So_ she just came to check him out like a zoo exhibit. Never talked to him or anything." The brunette leans forward a bit, as if to get Kosuke to back up, but she doesn't. Kosuke just stares down at the girl confusedly as her nose levels with her collarbone. "She's shallow. I've been going to school with him since before he joined the Club. It's really annoying that you're just him to ogle him."

When the girl finally stops talking, Kosuke holds her hands together. Through pursed lips, she tells the girl, "I like the Pronoun Game just as much as the next guy, but I _don't know who you're—"_

The other girls seem to catch on to her words, but the one in front of her cuts her off yet again. It's enough to make the rest of them, Kosuke included, sigh and glare off at nothing. "They get more sarcastic every year, I swear."

She leans forward again, but Kosuke doesn't even care anymore. She and everyone else just wait. "Just take a step back, alright? We don't—"

Admittedly, Kosuke doesn't notice, either, but the girls are too focused on her to see the door pull open. They don't notice who he is or that his eyes go from girl to girl until they finally land on the redhead.

They only really notice when that person steps past the other girls, brushing arms with the brunette, and makes a beeline straight for Kosuke.

Whoever the guy is, whoever the girls have been waiting for, he throws an arm around Kosuke's shoulders and pulls her to him. Kosuke doesn't even have time to react. She just lets out a surprised "eh?!" sound as her cheek is pressed against the sewn crest of a blazer.

The girls have stopped moving, talking, and maybe breathing? All eyes are wide, and all mouths are open. Kosuke can't even see the guy's face, but she knows that the girls are looking at it.

"I've been looking everywhere for you." His voice is a bit scratchy, a little high-pitched. It takes a second for Kosuke to realize that he's talking to her, but then he's talking to the girls before she can even think of a response. "You guys were showing her around, right? This place is really confusing for newcomers."

And it's not the same as Tamaki's leg-melting effects, but it's something. The girls flush, eyes still wide, a few of them snapping their mouths shut. The brunette stiffens up like stone.

"Yes," one of the girls gasps out.

This brings an instant rise of voices, chanting "Yes!", "Right!", "That's what we were doing!", and so forth. The brunette can't even get any words out.

The guy chuckles good-naturedly. The arm around Kosuke squeezes. "Whelp, the teacher let me out early so I could get a head start to the Club. If you guys don't mind, I'm going to go ahead and lead her there."

The girls don't even question how they know each other or why he's taking her to the Host Club. (Kosuke doesn't either, for some reason.) They split apart into a straight path for the two of them, all the time of waiting for What's-His-Name forgotten.

The guy pulls her with him, probably smiling like nothing's wrong. The girls hardly even blink as the two of them pass through. Whoever the brunette who's known this guy for years is, she's still petrified.

The guy keeps her walking with him until they turn another corner. _That's_ when Kosuke hears it: the squeals and swoons, the sound of hearts bursting in the air. Maybe a body hitting the floor. They're singing out like an angel choir, things like "He's just as handsome as I remember~!" and "He looked right at me~!" and wow these people are fragile.

The arm around her shoulders finally falls, and Kosuke pulls back a bit to finally get a look at the guy.

He can't be that much taller than her, and not that much older. The bangs of his strawberry blond hair are neatly framed, but the rest is a stylish mess. His eyes somewhat remind Kosuke of a cat's—almond-shaped and a color between gold and whiskey. There's a kind of boyish glint of mischief in them. He's wearing the male uniform of Ouran: a yellow tie, white shirt, and slacks and a blazer a lighter shade of purple than the girls'.

He's smiling at her like she's an old friend, which is both endearing and confusing. "You good?"

"Confused, but yeah. Thanks." She straightens out her blazer, and running a thumb up the strap of her satchel, she asks, "Do you always have a group of girls waiting for you? Or is this a…" She wiggles her fingers to scatter around imaginary sparkles. _"…special_ occasion?"

He shakes his head, waves a hand. His voice is exhausted. "All day, every day. I'm used to it."

"Oh." How blasé.

She says that out loud.

Cripes.

She's about to apologize, but the guy just shrugs. "I'm not going to say 'sorry'."

She doesn't know what to say next. At the least, she can't come up with a witty response. The two of them are still walking side-by-side. She wonders why.

Glancing sideways at him, Kosuke thinks he looks awkward of all a sudden. He's not looking at her, instead letting his eyes roam over the floor tiles and up the walls and through the sunlit windows. She gets the feeling that he, too, is trying to come up with what to say next.

He clears his throat at long last and finally looks at her. There's a small, awkward grin on his mouth, probably identical to hers. "I just came out because I heard Sasai barking at you like a dog."

"Who?"

"The dark-haired one with the fangs."

"Ohhhh. Right. I don't know what she was going on about."

He grin falls to a frown. He looks genuinely concerned, which is still endearing, but still very confusing. "She didn't threaten you or anything, did she? You shouldn't let her spoil your time here."

"No, she was just really defensive for some reason. She was saying stuff like 'I've known him forever', 'you're new here, so back off', 'something-something-bark-bark'. I wasn't even _looking_ for you, I just ran into them."

"Don't worry about her. She's just territorial."

" _Just_ territorial?" Kosuke jabs a thumb into her chest. "I've seen 'territorial' before. That's grade-A _'I own him'_ right there."

The sides of his mouth quirk up. The mischievous look in his eye sparkles brighter.

Almost singing, he asks, "Not jealous of her, are you?"

There's a pause between them. He keeps smirking at her; she raises an eyebrow at him. They're analyzing each other, Kosuke guesses. Not in a challenging way, but in that 'I-think-you-and-I-are-going-to-be-friends' way. He kind of reminds her of Haruhi, the way he's talking to her like a friend he hasn't met yet. He's not _as_ good as Haruhi, but it's still a trait that Kosuke herself wishes she had.

"Well." She clicks her tongue. "Considering I don't know your _name_ —"

He sticks a hand out to her. "Kaoru."

She gives him a pursed but amused smile. He just wiggles his fingers at her, and she finally slaps her hand into his.

"Kosuke."

They shake their hands once, then let their arms fall back to their sides.

Kaoru, satisfied, says, "You were saying?"

"I was saying—why would I care that a bunch of pretty girls are following you around?"

He lifts his arms up, fingers intertwining behind his head. He's still smirking at her, but now it's almost in a 'caught you' kind of way. "You were there, too."

She slows down. He does, too.

Kosuke grins very cat-like. "Smooth."

He just shrugs—still smirking.

"But like I said before, I wasn't waiting for you. I'm meeting up with a friend."

It occurs to her then that she might want to check her-not-her phone now, but not wanting to be rude, she decides otherwise.

"Aw," Kaoru coos. "Making friends already?"

"Yes," Kosuke coos back. She clicks her tongue again. "Kind of. Actually, I'm meeting up with my otaku roommate because she left her magical microphone in our dorm and wow I never thought I would say that out loud."

What follows is silence, and she looks over at him again. The rest of his face is neutral, but his eyebrows are knitting together. He's not looking at her again. His eyes are flickering around like he's trying to piece something together in his head. Kosuke thinks that he may be whispering 'otaku roommate' to himself.

"What about you?" she asks. "You said you were headed to a 'club'?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. I have some things I need to catch up on, so my teacher let me out early."

The conversation may have continued, but they've already come to the Music Room doors without Kosuke realizing it. She steps ahead of him, and, with one hand on the doorknob, sends him a smile.

"Well, this is my stop. Thanks for walking me, I guess."

She's a bit disappointed that their conversation got cut off, but she guesses she'll get to see him again. She at least has his name, though between class and photography and whatever else, she wonders if she'll ever get to search for it.

She pulls the door open at the same time that she looks over at Kaoru. The smile slides off of her face. Kaoru is looking between her and the door with wide eyes and furrowed brows. Kosuke can almost see a loading symbol on him.

But she doesn't get to ask what's wrong, because suddenly, a pair of hands grabs her by the elbows and pulls her inside. She yelps as her feet stumble beneath her, trying to keep balance, and she catches a quick flash of Kaoru's horrified eyes. She doesn't even know if there were any rose petals or white light this time.

Her roommate finally lets her go, but only after her vision starts swirling. Renge is actually wearing her uniform for once, but she still has her bright eyes and bright grin. Kosuke doesn't know why, but for some reason, that smile will always make her uneasy.

"There you are, Roomie!" Renge claps her hands together in a little patter. "Do you have my microphone?"

Kosuke's words come out as a slurred "yeahahgotyahar" sound, but she's steady enough to open up her satchel and pull the microphone out. Renge snatches it in one second.

"Thank you~!" Renge sings with the microphone. Kosuke can't even tell whether it makes her voice louder or not.

Behind her, there's a "Hi, Kosu-chan!", and Kosuke looks past Renge. She hadn't even noticed that the other Host Club members are also in the room. They're setting the place up for the day, and they're dressed normally. Mori is rearranging furniture, and Haruhi is setting up the "tea stations". Tamaki seems to just be observing everything.

Kosuke waves back to Hani, and Haruhi turns to her. The brunette smiles. "Hey. What are you doing here?"

Renge has disappeared. Somehow.

Kosuke is left to answer, "Renge forgot her microphone in our room."

Haruhi frowns. "Forgot?"

Behind her, Tamaki pipes up, "I thought that thing was a part of her."

"Oh." Kosuke sighs. "It's not just me."

Renge appears, somehow, beside Tamaki. The blond almost doesn't notice her, but as his eyes scan back across the room, they finally fall on her. The poor man squeaks like a squashed mouse and jumps five feet back from her.

Renge is pouting with her arms crossed over her blazer. "Well, excuse me for being wrapped up in the excitement."

Haruhi, now with Tamaki hiding behind her, asks, "What excitement?"

Renge doesn't answer. Instead, her smile creeps back onto her face, eyes gleaming. She raises her microphone to her lips and points with her other hand. "Why don't you ask _him?_ "

Everyone turns to the door.

Kaoru is rubbing the back of his neck. He's quiet, eyes going from Host to photographer to narrator. He starts rocking on his heels.

It takes forever for him to finally say, "Hey."

What follows is a few seconds of surprised silence.

It's broken when Hani chirps, "Hey, Kao-chan!"

The wide-eyed look on Haruhi's face slides off. Pursing her lips and crossing her arms, she speaks in a clipped voice. "Well, it's about time."

Kaoru finally grins. Stepping forward into the room, he teases, "Did ya miss me?"

Tamaki is sporting the same stern, flat-eyed look at his girlfriend. He has his knuckles on his hips. "Seriously? You're not going to say anything?"

"…'I missed you guys, too'?"

Tamaki looks torn between anger and flattery. Haruhi is about to speak up, but it's Kyoya who does it instead. He has his binder tucked beneath his arm. Behind the frames of his glasses, his charcoal eyes are narrowed at Kaoru.

"Classes started last week," he says. His voice is always sharp, but there's now an annoyed edge to it. "Every day someone came in asking for you, I had to tell them that you weren't here, and please come back tomorrow. And, just to add to that, you've been ignoring any and all attempts to make contact with you. Very polite, by the way."

Kaoru shrinks in on himself. The grin he'd worked off dropped off, his eyes falling to his feet. He's rubbing at his neck again. Everyone looks either concerned or annoyed…except for Renge, who has somehow procured a bag of popcorn.

(She offers some to Kosuke, so she takes a handful.)

Kaoru murmurs, "Sorry."

Tamaki sighs. In a softer voice, he asks, "Anything from the other one?"

Kosuke has no idea who he's talking about, but she sees the change it makes. It's like watching water slowly freeze into ice. Kaoru's hand drops to his side, his jaw sets tight. The light in his eyes fades.

He gives nothing but a low, monotone "No."

The silence that follows this time is heavier than before. Lips purse, eyes fall. Fingers straighten out shirts and blazers. Hani starts to rock on his heels, and Mori, for once, looks visibly uncomfortable. Even Renge has gone quiet, almost in respect, it seems.

The click of Tamaki's tongue is loud. "Well. You're here now, that's what matters. And!" He grins, snapping his fingers. "Now that excitement has built, you'll probably draw in a crowd, huh?"

He says it like encouragement, but Kaoru just sighs. Kosuke wonders if he's been dealing with overexcited fangirls all day.

"There'd better be," Kyoya says. "Speaking of which, I believe classes will end in just a minute or so. We should all be getting ready."

The Hosts disperse. Tamaki murmurs something to Haruhi, kisses her hand, and walks away. Haruhi is rolling her eyes, but blushing, as she makes her way to her station. Hani skips away with Mori trailing behind him, Kyoya heads to his working table.

Kaoru follows, but for just a moment, his eyes land on Kosuke. He doesn't grin or frown, just gives a twitch of his eyebrows that Kosuke can't read. It's only for a moment, though, and then he's gone.

Renge sighs and throws an arm around Kosuke's shoulders. Never minding the fact that Kosuke is almost knocked off-balance, she says, "I have a feeling that this is going to be a tiring week. Which is fine by me~!"

Kosuke nods. "Great. But, um…"

"Yes?"

"What just happened?"

Renge gives a trilling laugh. "Oh, Kosuke, you naïve newcomer, you." She realizes something, and her hands clap together as she gasps. Her arm is still around Kosuke, so the redhead is a little choked just so Renge can do so. "This is like introducing someone to one of my favorite visual novels!"

Kosuke doesn't even know what to do, so she just hums.

"Kosuke, this—" She points out at Kaoru and brings her microphone to her lips. The arm holding it is still around Kosuke—their cheeks get pressed together. "—is the Little Devil Host of the Ouran Host Club!"

Kosuke hardly even gets to react. While Renge is still speaking, there's a light pitter-patter. It grows into a tapping, then an almost thundering roll. It's coming closer to the Music Room, louder with each second. Eventually, Kosuke can feel it through her feet.

Everyone else seems to know what it is. Looking at them, Kosuke sees fear and dread in their eyes. Kaoru, in particular, looks like a man about to be sent to the electric chair.

And just as she starts to feel the dread, too, Renge wraps her arms around Kosuke's waist and pulls her backwards.

"You're going to want to stand back for this."

And then the stampede enters.


	6. A Series of Peculiar Events P3

There have been times in Kosuke's life where she was genuinely paralyzed with fear. There was a time when her and her mother were caught in a storm on the street, and it rained so hard that Kosuke couldn't see. Or that time that she and her sister were walking on train tracks when a train came running through, forcing Kosuke to press them both to a rock wall while their bones rattled. Or her eighth birthday party at _The Power Pets Club!,_ where she realized that when you turn a cartoon into an animated, singing robot, the result is an Eldritch abomination.

Usually, it has to do with some sort of overstimulation. Too much movement, or too much sound, or just an overall feeling of _wrong._

One of those times comes with the stampede.

What comes first is the high, thin wail, like a thousand nails on one chalkboard, that seems to arrow into her eardrums, a thousand times worse than her aunt's. This is over the ground shaking like an earthquake, making Kosuke teeter and fumble. Next comes the feeling of hands and shoulders and hips bumping and rocking against her, despite Renge's attempt to help. Everywhere she looks, it's just purple and yellow. She's a rock caught in a hurricane, drowning in water and slapped by the waves.

But it's over as quickly as it comes, for the most part. The wailing quiets to a constant whistle and the bodies surge past Kosuke without any mind. Once the girls meet their target, the shaking stops. Kosuke is left with her knees buckled and her arms still held out for balance. Her side-tail came loose somehow, so all of her hair is mussed around her head.

Renge picks her up by her collar and shakes her out like a wet rag. Then she sets Kosuke down on her feet again, and Kosuke coughs awkwardly. She pulls her hair tie from the knots.

"The first couple of times are the worst," Renge told her in a tut-tut tone.

Kosuke dumbly thumbs through her hair as she watches the swarm thrive. The girls are bouncing and thrashing, some puddling to the floor and popping right back up. Kaoru has been swallowed by them all. The Hosts are all standing back (wisely so) to let the girls take out there joy.

"I guess I know who'll get the most customers today," Kosuke muses aloud. She finally pulls her hair back into a side tail.

"Mm-hm~!" Renge puts her hands on Kosuke's shoulders and drums her fingers. "Personally, I thought it was a brilliant plan. Starve them of what they want, then give it back to them for bonus revenue. Truly brilliant."

Disregarding how oddly tactical that sounds, Kosuke tries to focus back on the situation. Half of the girls are still clustered around Kaoru—she can't see a hair on his head anymore—while the other half is almost drowning Kyoya to plan future meetings. His pencil is blazing across his notebook, quick enough to draw smoke, to keep track of every name and date and sale.

It takes a while, but the girls finally disperse into their usual routine. In groups or singles, the girls meet up with the other Hosts, all waiting patiently for them to finish. Haruhi hooks arms with one, Hani skips along with two as Mori follows, and Tamaki holds his hand palm-up for another. Kyoya, apparently having legitimate appointments today, leads another away by the arm.

"Okay, so…" Kosuke holds up her hands to tick off her fingers. "Princely, Natural, Cool, Strong and Silent, Loli-Shota…and Little Devil?"

"So far." At Kosuke's look, Renge snickers behind her knuckles. "Hey, we have to keep some tension. But yes, Kaoru's been a member of the Host Club since it first opened its doors."

Kosuke isn't surprised. Not that she knew that, but it makes sense, since he'd been at Ouran for years.

She wonders if she should really be there anymore. Her business is done and taken care of, and without an appointment, she's just a straggler.

She could make an appointment, she figures—she had not been lying when she said that the idea of doing so sounded fun. She thinks the ways the Hosts work was charming, and as conceited as it sounds, it's just nice to sit down and let someone take care of you. Kosuke isn't one to blush and stammer easily, but then again, she hasn't been flirted with the way the Hosts flirt.

Then again, these customers seem to be doing this out of genuine interest, not "for fun". These girls were smitten, not amused. So thinking more into it, it would be a little awkward, because she couldn't give the boys the reactions they needed to work on. Worst case scenario, she nods and "uh-huhs" so much that the Hosts struggle to do their jobs.

The door opens. Kosuke throws her arms in front of her face.

But instead, the door just creaks close. Kosuke peeks through her fingers.

Kasa still has a hand on the door as she scans the room like a hawk. Her chin is lifted, eyebrows knitted. Her sapphire eyes go to the cluster of girls around Kaoru. She hears the squeals and the sighs, and there's a glint in her eye, an "Aha!" She click-click-clicks forward a few steps. Her fingers twiddle together.

She's so focused on the girls that she doesn't realize that she's standing right next to Kosuke.

Kosuke lifts a hand, hesitates, then taps her shoulder.

An arm comes swinging, and Kosuke just narrowly dodges it, only by falling right on her butt. Kasa only then realizes what she'd done. Eyes wide, she bends down and puts her hands beneath Kosuke's arms. Despite her slender frame, she lifts Kosuke to her feet like it's nothing.

"Oh! Sorry! Sorry, sorry!" She spends a moment to dust Kosuke's blazer off and pat her hair down. She sighs shakily, running her hands through her blond tresses. "You scared me."

Kosuke rubs at the spot on her behind most-throbbing from the fall, appearance out of the window. "I'll be sure not to do that again. So I don't _break my pelvis_."

Kasa just sighs again and looks back to the girls. She looks wary. "So…Sixth ranger is back, huh?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah, I guess. Be grateful you weren't here five minutes ago."

Kasa nods in a way that makes it clear she's not truly listening. She only really looks at Kosuke when she asks, "Where do I make an appointment?"

"I guess just go ask Kyoya once he gets a break? I don't know how this place works, man."

"Alrighty."

Kosuke can't help but notice that Kasa doesn't seem very interested in doing so. She could just be collected compared to the other girls, but she almost looks _bitter_ about it. Not unlike a child about to go into the dentist's office. She had asked Kosuke to take pictures of the Hosts for her, but while Kosuke was just curious before, now she's befuddled. She couldn't think of a reason why Kasa would want pictures of people she had no interest in.

Perhaps prying, Kosuke asks, "Sooooo do you prefer Kaoru?"

"What? _No."_ Kasa's voice is sharp, angry, just as her eyes are. When Kosuke bends away, determined to remain standing, Kasa collects herself. She takes a deep breath. "I mean—no, I don't. I just want to watch—wait, no—I'm just interested in how he does things—wait, hold on…"

"Are you okay?!"

" _Yes! I'm fine!"_

The sound of collective pattering brings their attention back to Kaoru's group. The girls are dispersing, waving and calling back to Kaoru like he's headed overseas and not just moving onto another group. Kisses are blown and caught. As the group shuffles away, more girls take their place. They sit down on the sofas and the armrests, cramming together, elbow-to-elbow. Kosuke catches Kaoru winking at a girl before he's blocked out of her view.

Fingers grip into Kosuke's elbow.

"Let's go."

Kosuke raises a brow at Kasa. "Eh?"

"Let's go! Let's just squeeze in now! Pretend I'm with you, not you with me."

" _Eh?"_

Kasa is not in the mood to argue. She pulls Kosuke a bit too hard by the arm and all but drags her across the room. Kosuke looks back at Renge as if she'll help. Instead, her roommate just pulls out a chair and sits down. More popcorn. _Betrayal._

Kasa weaves and darts through girls to ensure them front-row seats. Kasa pushes Kosuke down until she's cross-legged in front of the loveseat, on the floor. Kasa plops down beside her. Kosuke pulls the hem of her skirt a little further down her thighs.

As the other girls spill in, Kaoru looks at Kosuke with raised brows. Perhaps he'd thought she'd already left. Kosuke doesn't know what to say or do, so she just looks down and tugs the hem of her skirt further over her legs.

A few girls are shuffling into the group when one speaks up. "Hello, Kaoru!"

Like a maestro, a chorus of "hellos" and "How are yous" fill the air. Kosuke is twiddling with her fingers. She still has no idea what she's doing, so she glances to Kasa to see if she does. Kasa is staring at Kaoru with great intensity. Not angry, just eerily scrutinizing.

"Hell-o," Kaoru sings. "You guys didn't have too much fun without me, did you?"

He says it in a tease, but the girls are appalled. They gasp and clutch at their hearts, cries of "Of course not!" chiming up. Kasa's eyes do a quick onceover of the girls before returning to Kaoru. She's analyzing his every move, every word.

"Sorry for worrying you all." The words are smooth, but sincere. "I really didn't mean to."

Kosuke honestly expects the reactions. There's cooing and gasping, whimpers as if close to tears. Hands cover mouths. There's absolute heartbreak in the room. Kasa blinks—confused.

"No, no, no!"

"We weren't worried!"

"We just want you to be happy!"

When the murmur calms down, a girl speaks up, "We knew you'd come back eventually!"

There's a short 'heh' of a laugh. The loveseat creaks as if Kaoru is leaning forward—Kosuke is still twiddling her fingers. "So you guys were _waiting_ for me?"

Cheeks go red—ears, necks, even shoulders. Kosuke can actually _feel_ the enamored blood rush that warms the air. A whisper of shaky breaths tickles her ears. Some girls curl in on themselves, ducking their heads and twitching their fingers.

Kasa's gaze, still attentive, lightens up. Like she's impressed.

The girls stumble over their words in sweet, tremulous voices.

"I-I mean, we weren't _dying_ for you to come back…"

"We're just happy, that's all…"

"Oh?" Kaoru chuckles. "My bad—I was looking forward to see you all again. I'm so conceited."

Stumbling, stammering, cries of reassurance. The blood rush flames over Kosuke's skin like the heat of a fire. After maybe three minutes of finger-twiddling, Kosuke finally leans back and looks up at Kaoru.

He's leaning back in his seat, legs crossed, arms lazily folded over his chest. Everything about his posture is relaxed and easy, but his face tells another story. His lips are quirked in a sly smirk. One eyebrow is lifted just slightly above the other. His whiskey-colored eyes are bright, twinkling with amusement.

So that's what the Little Devil gimmick is. He doesn't flirt with the girls outright. He turns their words around on them to make them blush and stammer under his gaze—pampering them indirectly. He's just reveling in their reactions, in utter control. Yet Kosuke doesn't feel that he's lying to them. It's not some fake mask. He's like the other Hosts—he takes something that's already a part of him and amplifies it for effect.

Kosuke is impressed. She hums her approval.

Kasa seems to be, as well.

A few girls, at least, have a bit more grace. Not unfazed, but they smile instead of stammer, and some wave their hands at Kaoru.

"Kaoru, really," one says. She brushes a length of black hair over her shoulder. "Stop making us blush."

Kaoru holds his hands up. "My mistake. But what are you blushing for?"

The same girls laugh good-naturedly. Their cheeks flush pink, and they flutter their hands once more. Kasa's head bobs ever-so-slightly, as if nodding to herself. Kosuke wishes she had some idea what's happening in her head, because why was she here, again?

"So." Kaoru claps his hands. He looks his crowd all over. "Anything new?"

The girls perk up at once. Like excited birds, they bounce and dance and "ooh, ooh, ooh!" They're absolutely bursting at the seams for some connection, to get his eyes on them. Kosuke smiles to herself. It may be excessive, yes, but their love for the Hosts is genuine. Heartwarming and humorous.

"We've finally got a Film Club for the University!" a girl with silver glasses sings.

"Next semester," a blonde adds, "we may be getting an animation class started!"

Another girl, with hair so black it's blue, gasps and says louder than the rest, "Class Representative voting is coming up soon!"

This last one is met with chatters of excitement, and Kosuke understands. At Saga, being Class Representative for the Student Council was considered an extreme honor. It meant that everyone trusts you to represent their interests and wellbeing—if you were the president, you were practically king. Hitsuji Kawakita, former president for Saga, was the most respectable man Kosuke had ever met. So she understands why a school like Ouran would take this with great passion.

Kaoru nods and acknowledges everything the girls say. Some struggle to make their voices heard, and he helps by having the others shush with a wave of his hand. He's genuine and gentle at this moment. He wants the girls to know that he cares without forcing them into the spotlight, Kosuke decides—which would probably be better for the shier girls.

Once the chatter dies down, and as Kosuke absentmindedly unzips her satchel, Kaoru asks, "Any new students?"

If that was some kind of jest at her, Kosuke doesn't notice. Even as she looks up at Kaoru, he doesn't meet her eyes. She hears names being rattled off around her, some girls speaking politely, others gushing over new friends. A few mention family members. Some newcomers are in the crowd with them, and they introduce and greet accordingly.

At some point, hands land on her shoulders, one combing through her hair—the girls of Ouran liked to touch her hair very much, Kosuke knows. Maybe it's because she's one of less than ten girls there to have hers dyed a bright color. Kosuke grins (she kind of likes it when people touch her hair) at the girls that smile between her and Kaoru. One of them starts scratching her head like a cat, which is…weird, but not uncomfortable.

"Kosuke's new here," they say. They take turns petting her head. "She's in the photography class. She's a first-year."

Kaoru nods that off like he didn't know.

A girl asks in a soft voice, "So…are you okay, Kaoru?"

The air drops like a weight. All easiness and comfort is sucked out of them all in five short words. Suddenly, everything feels scratchy and stiff. Kosuke can feel concern, annoyance, and all together awkwardness. The fingers still in Kosuke's tresses pull away.

The girl should not have asked that, she decides. It's like it was on everyone's minds, but it wasn't supposed to be spoken. Besides Kosuke, Kasa glances around, intensity fallen into confusion. The two of them are in the same boat, surrounded by an incoming storm.

Kosuke looks at Kaoru. For just a split second, she sees the smirk on his lips falter. His Adam's apple bobs up and down. He's buffering.

Then he's back to normal, just like that. "Of course I am." He blows a raspberry. "Are you guys worried about me, or not? Make up your minds."

It's a fair attempt, but for once, it hardly works. A few of the girls chuckle and smile. But there's no more blushing, no more giddiness. Kosuke is again reminded that she has no place here. Whatever thundercloud is raining over this group, over this Club, Kosuke has no clue what made it.

A hand shoots up, almost scraping her cheek again.

Kaoru blinks at Kasa. It isn't often that a customer raises their hand to speak.

"Yes?"

Kasa holds up a finger, holding him, and reaches into the pocket of her skirt. She pulls out a notepad and a pen, flips to a fresh page, and finally asks, "How much experience do you have in romance?"

Kosuke hears a record rip.

All eyes go to Kasa. There isn't a trace of playfulness or tease in her voice—she said it as cold as a doctor at an appointment. Kaoru himself can't help but blink for a second. A few girls glance at Kosuke, and it's hard not to say _Hey, I don't know what her deal is, either, man._ She just shrugs.

Kaoru 'heh-heh's and leans forward on his knees. Kasa readies her pen. She doesn't mind the glinting eyes that Kaoru looks at her with.

"Not trying to evaluate your competition, are you?"

Another girl probably would have stammered and hurried to explain herself. Kasa is not another girl. Rather, just as she makes the first scratch of lead on paper, she looks up at Kaoru with the most unimpressed blue eyes Kosuke's seen on a Host Club customer. Some girls lean forward to see Kasa's reaction, or lack of, better.

Kasa clicks her tongue. "Just answer the question."

Kaoru blinks again. The girls' brows furrow. Kosuke twiddles with her camera buttons.

Kaoru clicks his tongue. He's really trying to keep the conversation going right. "Well…If you mean dating, not much at all."

Kasa nods and scribbles it down. As Kosuke turns the flash on and off, on and off, she hears soft sighs behind her. Maybe a whisper of happiness or two. Kosuke hadn't thought of that before—are the Hosts even allowed to date other girls? Of course, Tamaki and Haruhi are together, but Tamaki is the president, and they were both members. Then again, Tamaki doesn't seem the hypocritical type to her. She didn't think he would disallow other relationships when he had his.

Kaoru catches the reactions. The grin on his face stretches wider. A hand comes up to his head and cups an ear. "Is that _relief_ I hear?"

Kosuke flips her camera around so the lens faces her. She snaps a photo, then turns the screen so she can see the result. She's in the middle of the image, looking calm, but not bored. She's framed by blushing faces and fidgeting hands. And, again, an unamused Kasa, eyes staring straight ahead.

"No, no, no!"

"We didn't mean it like that!"

"It's not like we're jealous, or anything!"

Kasa raises her hand again.

Kaoru's lips purse for just a second. He flicks a finger at her in the most casual way he can manage. "Yes, Interviewer?"

Kasa clicks her pen again. "So, just as advice, how would you suggest getting the attention of someone you love?"

Kaoru is less caught off-guard this time. He pauses, rubbing his hands together, thinking. The girls lean forward. Kasa readies her pen. Kosuke is still there.

"I suppose," says Kaoru, "that if we weren't that familiar with each other, I'd try to get closer to them. Introduce myself, interact more often—offer to carry her books, help her with homework, sit with her at lunch, that sort of stuff. If we were already close, I'd just go ahead and tell her." He shrugs. "I guess."

Kasa nods and jots it down quickly. A sense of curiosity fills the air. Girls glance to one another—probably guessing who is close to Kaoru and who is not, if any of them recall book-carrying or homework-helping or lunch-sitting. Kosuke picks on a stray string of her skirt.

Kaoru speaks up over the whispers, "So if you guys just want to take notes on that—"

The girls wave their hands at him, crying foul. They yell at him to stop that, stop that right now!

Kosuke glances sideways at the other side of the room. She can see other the other Hosts with their customers, charming and laughing and making them melt. Kosuke could be imagining it, but it feels that the Hosts are discreetly watching Kaoru and his customers. Either with worry or wariness, she can't tell.

Haruhi looks over at them while her customers giggle together. Her brown eyes flicker up and down Kaoru like she's looking for some crack in his posture. Then she meets eyes with Kosuke. She looks away.

Kosuke looks back to her camera, but as the girls hush, she realizes that Kasa has raised her hand once more. Kaoru, unfazed, just nods at her.

Kasa picks up her pen. She's holding it tighter than before. "Once you get to the point where you wish to confess to someone, how do you do so?"

Kaoru pauses to think about that. A finger taps on his chin.

"I would bring her someplace quiet. Not secluded, but somewhere where we won't be interrupted. Maybe someplace to watch the sunset, or the stars. Or maybe I'd just invite her to watch a movie. Anyway—I would ease into it. I'd want her to be comfortable and relaxed, not nervous. Talk about normal stuff, then talk about her. Tell her she's a wonderful person, kind, beautiful…Then tell her. Straightforward. _I love you._ "

The air is still. Kasa's pen scratches on her paper.

Kaoru's thoughtful expression breaks into a grin. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you all looked awfully wistful right now."

Kosuke doesn't get to hear the full extent of the squeals and giggles. Kasa scoffs, grabs Kosuke's arm, and pulls them both to her feet. The girls stop to watch them—Kaoru frowns, confused. Kasa just has the most annoyed expression, never minding Kosuke as she drags her away from the group.

"This was a bad idea," Kasa sighs.

Kosuke, having been dragged around a little too much this past week, finally digs her heels into the floor until Kasa finally lets her go. Kasa turns to look at her, more confused than angry. She still has her pen and paper in her hand.

"Could you please explain what's going on?" Kosuke asks. "You keep dodging the question and it's starting to make me antsy. What's the deal?"

Kasa shrugs in a very unconvincing manner. She flips her notepad open, tears out the page she'd written on, and starts ripping it into pieces. Her words are punctuated with each pull of her fingers. "There's no deal. I just think this is an unprofessional environment."

"You're making me antsier!"

She tosses the pieces to the air, where they flutter to the floor like snow. She turns to walk away, but Kosuke calls after her.

"Okay, okay, wait." Kosuke starts ticking off her fingers. "First, you ask me to take pictures of these guys for you. Then you come see them yourself. _Then_ you say they're 'unprofessional'—do you like these guys, or not? And what was with the interrogating? _And—_ " Kosuke fidgets with her bracelet. "You twisted my bracelet when you grabbed me. _Ow._ "

Kasa waves a hand of Kosuke as if nothing is of importance. But there's some lingering frustration in her eyes and the way she clenches her jaw.

"Look, it's nothing. This was a bad idea, and I'm ditching it."

Kasa turns for the door. Instead, she comes face-to-crest with the financial manager.

Kasa steps back to look up at Kyoya better, him being a half-head taller than her. Kyoya pushes his glasses farther up his nose as he peers down at her. Kosuke doesn't think he looks angry, but he seems unamused about something. Kosuke feels like they're being watched, but she just ducks her head and refuses to turn to see.

Kyoya says, "I was _going_ to ask if you'd already paid for your meeting. But now I must ask what went wrong with it."

There's a tense pause. Kasa pulls her blazer straight. Her voice is clipped. "It just wasn't to my suiting."

Kyoya paused. He crossed his arms. "Would you like to see a different Host?"

"I would like to leave."

"You're allowed to. I was just asking out of concern."

Kasa gives him one, curt nod. He steps out of her path, and she continues to the door. Her heels keep click-click-clicking.

As her fingers touch the doorknob, Kyoya speaks up. _"But."_

Kasa turns her head to him. She raises a thin eyebrow.

"It has also come to my consideration that just last week, Kosuke came in to take pictures of all of us for a 'shy friend'. Today, Kaoru returns, and you show up. You take Kosuke with you, for whatever reason, and start writing things down like research. Then you get angered and leave." Kyoya doesn't even glance in her direction. "Any explanation you want to offer?"

For once, Kasa's gaze turns away. She swallows thickly.

"I had an idea; it was a bad idea, now I'm dropping it."

"Very well. Good luck with whatever your problem is."

Kasa slams the door behind her.

Kyoya just turns back without batting an eye. Kosuke glances between him and the door. Kyoya had seemed so intent to get an answer—is he just going to let Kasa leave like that?

She realizes that Kyoya is walking in her direction.

"Um—" She clears her throat, holds her hands up defensively. "I don't know what's up with her, man. And, uh…If you want me to pay for the meeting, fine, but just know that I didn't finish it, so if I could just pay quarter-price or whatever—"

He turns her away from the door, effectively silencing her. With one hand on her shoulder, the other holds a finger up in the air. Kosuke waits. She blinks at him.

Kyoya snaps his fingers.

The door flies open.

Kasa slams the door shut behind her and fixes Kyoya with a hot glare. Her hands are in fists, her shoulders are tense. Her bangles are tinkling with how hard she's shaking. She's absolutely furious.

But she just sounds desperate. "I need help."

* * *

Sometime later, Kosuke is flipping through the photographs she'd taken a week prior. There's Tamaki charming the socks off a girl, customers squealing at Hani and Mori's act, Kyoya seemingly oblivious to his shy admirers, Haruhi smiling easily to a pair of girls…Every one she'd taken and given to Kasa on the SD card.

She lingers on each one for a few seconds. Not for her, but for the six people leaning over her. She's squeezed between everyone, her shoulders squishing her cheeks. Every now and then, someone will reach out and tip the camera towards them. Tamaki is practically resting his chin on the top of her head.

The Kasa that met Kosuke in the lobby of the dormitory was sleek and refined, as smooth as silk. The Kasa sitting on the loveseat now is as crumbled as a pastry. Her posture is slouched, her arms crossed but legs not, and her lips are pressed into a flat, colorless line. Her eyes glare straight ahead. A few platinum hairs stick out from her head at odd angles.

Behind Kosuke, Kyoya clicks his tongue. "I thought you said your friend was _shy,_ not _researching._ "

And, since Kosuke doesn't have a _motivation,_ let alone an excuse, she just purses her lips and looks away. Kyoya just sighs and turns the camera off.

Tamaki puts his hands on his hips and stares down at Kasa. She refuses to meet his eyes. She just sinks lower on the loveseat.

"So…" he begins. "Why have you been observing us? Although…"

Everyone knows it's coming, so they just take a step back. Tamaki runs his fingers through his silky bangs, and a spotlight from heaven itself falls down on him. Under its glow, his skin is ivory and his eyelashes are white gold.

"I can't say you've chosen the _wrong_ candidates. You should only settle for the best, after all."

Kasa throws a pillow at him. It smacks him directly in the face, and everyone darts away from his falling body. He hits the ground with an audible _THUMP._ Everyone just stares down at him. Kasa crosses her arms again.

While Haruhi bends down to help her boyfriend, Kyoya sighs, "You aren't exactly winning our favor, you know."

Kasa finally sits up, but only to add more effect to the glare she gives them all. "Could you please cut the act for five minutes? I thought you guys knew what you were doing." She throws her arms into the air. "I thought it was genuine, not make-believe!"

Haruhi doesn't even get to help Tamaki up before he springs to his feet.

There's a giant red welt on his forehead, but he ignores it and cries, "Nothing about this Club or its practices are make-believe!"

(Haruhi gives Kosuke a look, flashes a bottle of teardrops at her, but she doesn't say anything.)

Kaoru speaks up from the back of the group. "Would you please just tell us what you're doing?"

Haruhi adds, "What do you need help with?"

Kasa pauses. She sits up, pulls her skirt straight, sits down. She crosses her legs and uncrosses them. Her fingers twitch together. She tucks her hair behind her ears three times. She picks her fingernails together. Straightens her skirt again.

"I _need—"_ Her voice cracks. She clears her throat and tries again, "I need help. With romance."

Everyone else looks at one another. Kosuke isn't the only one that has no idea what she's talking about.

Tamaki, however, hums. More thoughtfully than charmingly, he says, "Well, I hate to disappoint a lovely young lady such as you, but the Host Club isn't a dating service. I can't speak for everyone, but perhaps if you wish to pursue our genuine romantic affections, you could approach us in a more personal—"

Kasa holds up another pillow, ready to fire. Haruhi shakes Tamaki until he stops.

"Not like _that,"_ Kasa hisses.

She puts the pillow in her lap and starts picking at the strings.

They all have to lean forward just to hear her say "I mean with someone else."

She flinches when they all give a resounding " _Ohhhh_!" Tamaki taps his forehead to chide himself. Kyoya just seems unimpressed. Haruhi, at least to Kosuke, seems to have been expecting it, and Hani looks as excitable as always. Mori did not have any visible feelings one way or another. Kosuke and Kaoru meet eyes and shrug at each other.

"I get it, I get it," says Tamaki. He chuckles. "Although you could have just asked."

Kasa huffs.

Haruhi steps forward and sits on the armrest of the loveseat. She's as naturally composed as always, and it seems to calm Kasa down. The blonde visibly relaxes and sits up a bit straighter.

Haruhi asks, "Is it okay to ask who it is? It may help if we know who we're working with."

Kasa glances around the room. Her eyes go to the door and the windows. She doesn't seemed scared to let anyone know, just shy, and she fidgets a little closer to the Hosts. They all lean in just a bit more.

It's spoken in the lightest whisper. "Aiku Magenu."

What follows is a few seconds of silence. A few Hosts seem surprised; others seem to be trying to put names to faces. Kosuke can do neither.

Finally, there's a snort, and everyone looks at Kaoru. He's trying to snicker behind his hand.

"Y-You mean the short nerd who used to draw robots in Geometry?"

Renge—Kosuke had absolutely forgotten that she's there with them, still smacking her lips on popcorn—chimes in with a curt "She can do better."

They both snap their jaws shut when they see the pillow pointed to them. Kasa's eyes are like blue daggers shooting right at them, daring to say anything more. Her lips are curled from her teeth like a mad dog, her hair is starting to curl like Medusa snakes again.

"His name is _Aiku,"_ she hisses. "And _there's no one better."_

Kosuke tries to think why she would be so defensive. Then she considers Kaoru's description of the "short nerd". Then she remembers what Kasa called the boy she had been fussing over in class, and how they had interacted, and everything clicks into place like the pieces of a puzzle. A lightbulb appears over her head.

She snaps fingers and exclaims aloud, "Oh! You mean Carrot-Cowlick?"

The pillow aims for her, so she ducks behind Haruhi for cover.

Kasa finally drops the pillow and looks down at her hands. They curl and uncurl as she speaks in a tight but calm tone. " _Yes_. We've been friends since we were kids. We used to share sleeping mats, for goodness sakes. I've _looooiiiiked_ him for a really long time. I keep thinking that maybe he likes me, too, but every time I try to make it obvious, he just gets confused and doesn't get it! I've thrown myself at his feet and he still can't pick up any signals!"

Tamaki sends Haruhi a pointed look. She gives him the same one.

"I thought I could take notes from you guys and make it more obvious. But it doesn't work no matter what angle I do it from. I want _him_ to pick up on it, because if he finds out that I _looooooiiiike_ him, but he only has friendly feelings for me, then it's just going to be really awkward and _ugh!_ "

She buries her face into the pillow. She shrinks on herself, legs drawing up to her chest, as if she wants nothing more than to wither away right there on the loveseat.

The others are left to watch her with sympathy. Tamaki, in particular, looks more like Kasa had just spilled out her dark and troubling backstory and not just her romance woes. A tear beads at the corner of his eye.

(Kosuke doubts it came from the bottle.)

Kasa lifts her head from the pillow and flicks a hand in Kosuke's direction. "Kosuke's seen him in class. She knows what I'm talking about."

The Hosts turn to Kosuke expectantly. Kosuke clenches her jaw, thinking. Her fingers twiddle on the camera.

She can't really blame Aiku for being so oblivious. Not because Kasa wasn't being crystal-clear with her intentions, but because Kosuke _herself_ didn't catch onto it until now. In the classroom, Kasa had used each and every technique shown to her in the photographs: charm, cuteness, coolness, the three C's. She had done everything but said the three little words.

She starts to speak aloud. "I don't think he was trying to ignore Kasa; I think he was _noticing_ her, but…I don't know; it seemed like he wasn't thinking about it too much? But I wouldn't be surprised if he _loooiiiikes_ her, too."

Tamaki absorbs this information. Gears are grinding in his head. He's a professor standing in front of the board, calculating the math. It's the most serious Kosuke has seen him so far. Everyone is giving him respectful silence, too.

Finally, Tamaki nods. His violet eyes are bright with the fire of determination as he looks at the Hosts.

"Then it's settled. We'll just have to ask him straightforward how he feels about Kasano."

" _No!"_

Kasa jumps to her feet and sends pillows toppling. She doesn't just appear angry; she seems absolutely _terrified_ at the idea. Her eyes are as big as saucers. The group all flinch back from her while she tries helplessly to find her voice.

"You can't just go to him and hit him over the head with it! He _can't know_ I was here. What's he going to think if he finds out I came _here,_ to flirt with a bunch of other guys? Then he'll really get confused!"

A fair point and they all recognize it. If someone, anyone, just asks Aiku outright how he feels about Kasa, even he will realize why they're asking. Even he couldn't be _that_ dense.

Tamaki turns to them all and gestures them to huddle like a game team. Kosuke is somewhat pushed into it, although she doesn't complain. If she can help, she will, even though she isn't sure what she can do.

Tamaki tells them all, "Let's think. What's a way to ask how Aiku feels without being obvious?"

Kyoya speaks up. "Not that I particularly care about this situation…But perhaps one of us could just casually bring it up in conversation?"

Tamaki shakes his head. It tosses his blonde locks around. "None of us are close enough to him to bring that up without question."

Kyoya purses his lips, which Kosuke takes to be Kyoya-nese for 'Good point.'

Kosuke speaks up. "Maybe do some kind of set-up? Like, pretend you guys are doing some mix-in-match day to help students get together?"

Haruhi shakes her head. "That _would_ work, but it would take forever to set up. It would take at least a week to get everything prepared for something like that."

There's a unanimous murmur of agreement. Kasa is becoming restless on the loveseat—she has now laid her body out as if to succumb to stress.

Kaoru snaps his fingers. "Oh! Okay, how about we get a girl to pretend to like Aiku, but then ask if he already likes someone else?"

Tamaki mumbles, "That may actually work."

"Right," says Kaoru. He pauses, then asks, "And then we have Kasa hidden somewhere the whole time, so when he says he likes her, we reveal her. As a _grand romantic gesture!_ "

"Wait," says Kosuke. She speaks slowly, unsure. "What if…he ends up _not_ liking Kasa, so when the girl asks him out, he actually says 'yes'?"

Kaoru thinks hard about that for a moment. His lips purse. "Then…we still reveal Kasa. Just so he can see the utter heartbreak in her eyes. And we get a video of it, too, and post it up on the internet titled 'Short Nerd Breaks Heart of—'"

Tamaki cuts him off with a shrill "KAORU!" Kaoru just breaks down in snickers, trying to stifle it behind his hand. He seems to just revel in Tamaki's fury.

Haruhi speaks up next. "I'm just going to step in and say I don't think this'll work. We tried this before, you guys. It ended with me slipping on a banana peel and kissing a guy's fiancée in front of the whole school."

Kosuke just thinks _What?_ Tamaki, meanwhile, seems to crumble when she says that, like it's a bitter memory he would rather forget. Kaoru snickers again, which earns him a hiss from the blonde.

Hani raises a hand to speak. He's sitting atop Mori's shoulders, his legs dangling down his cousin's front and one hand atop Mori's mop of jet hair. "I have an idea!"

* * *

 _ **So whats ur mjr?**_

 **Photography, but also taking a business management class on the side.**

 _ **2 very dffrnt courses. Y?**_

 **My parents' business is endowed to me already. Planning on using it as a side-position until my photography career picks up.**

 _ **How ambts**_

 **If only I understood what that meant. -_-  
You?**

' _ **Ambitious'  
major in fashion dsgn  
same story. parents' goes 2 me n some1 else**_

' **some1 else' the Vague Master of Ambiguity says**

 _ **dont want 2 talk about it. Srry.**_

 **Oh. My bad. Sorry. (._.)**

"Okay, the class is out. Watch the door."

Kosuke shuts her phone off and tucks it into the pocket of her skirt. She leans forward to look around Kaoru to her right. To her left, Haruhi does the same.

The door to the classroom has just opened, and the students inside begin to trickle out one-by-one. Some travel off in pairs or groups, one person starts jogging away as if late to their next class. If Aiku is inside the room, he's lagging.

Kosuke wants to say that she, Kaoru, and Haruhi look absolutely casual leaning against the wall like they are, but they don't. Kosuke has never been a very good actor—Tamaki and the other Hosts probably were, but the three of them were the only ones without classes at the time. Kosuke still isn't really sure if she even has a place in this, but no one's complaining, so she isn't, either.

Haruhi speaks up. "Why are all three of us here, again? Couldn't one person do this?"

Kaoru replies, "You should probably ask the questions. You're a good talker."

"Kaoru can write down what he says," adds Kosuke. She shrugs. "I'm not fast at writing."

Haruhi accepts that. Still, she asks, "Then what are you going to do?"

She and Kaoru both stare at Kosuke. She clenches her jaw and thinks hard about it. Sweat beads on her temple.

Eventually, she holds up her camera. "I can…take pictures…?"

It's a stretch and they all know it. Still, Kaoru and Haruhi just nod and give her the kind of sugary-sweet smiles you give to a child when they tell you they're a superhero or something. Haruhi pats her head.

Behind Kaoru, a familiar orange cowlick finally appears from the classroom. Kosuke hisses, "There he is!"

Aiku is stuffing a handful of papers into a binder as he walks down the hallway. Kosuke just then realizes that the class he was in must have been computer engineering. She catches a glimpse of his papers and it the numbers and codes make her dizzy just by sight. One of the sheets slips from his fingers, and he lurches forward in the most awkwardly goofy way to catch it, teetering on one foot for a moment. A few students passing by chuckle at the sight.

Kaoru waves a hand at Haruhi. "Go ahead. We'll follow."

With clipboard and pen in hand, Haruhi follows Aiku as casually as she can. Kosuke then realizes that Haruhi may not be as great as an actor as originally thought. Aiku doesn't notice, but Haruhi is obviously heading his way despite trying to look like she doesn't notice.

Kaoru gives her a little tug on the sleeve, and they follow them with a little more grace. To anyone passing by, it would look like they were just travelling in a pair, completely unrelated to the one ahead of them. A guy from Kosuke's photography class passes by, and she waves. Kaoru does the same for several girls, probably former customers.

Ahead of them, Haruhi does a little jog to Aiku and taps him on the shoulder. Aiku jumps like a cat—Kosuke swears his cowlick shoots straight-up. When he sees it's just Haruhi, he deflates like a balloon.

"You scared me," he sighs.

Haruhi, startled by him being startled, nods. She pulls on her tie. "Sorry. I won't do that again."

They turn a corner, and Kosuke fiddles with her camera. She just now realized that it's incredibly difficult to take a picture of someone without anyone around her noticing. For a minute, she just holds it awkwardly in her hands, fingers twitching over the buttons. Beside her, Kaoru has taken out a small notepad and is scribbling notes on it.

Aiku asks, "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Yes," says Haruhi.

She tilts her clipboard toward him. Kosuke had already seen the sheet clipped to it. It read like a survey study of Ouran students' romance lives. There were three boxes, 'IN A RELATIONSHIP', 'COMPLICATED', and 'NOT IN A RELATIONSHIP', and each one had a number of tally marks in it. There were other questions alongside them. Kosuke had to hand it to Kyoya—he did an excellent job of making it look as professional as possible.

Haruhi explains, "As part of my communications class, we were told to take a survey of anything we choose. I decided to make mine about the romance lives of Ouran students. Since we're not allowed to use people we already know in the survey, do you mind if you comment?"

Aiku purses his lips for a moment. A lightbulb appears over Kosuke's head. Even with the camera at the level of her chest, she manages to tilt it just so without looking at the screen. She hits the button, and takes a quick glance at the result. It's not great, since their back-facing her, but Haruhi and Aiku are clearly in the shot with their faces visible.

"Sure," Aiku finally says.

Haruhi nods and clicks her pen. "Are you in a relationship, _not_ in a relationship, or is it complicated?"

Aiku pauses. Kaoru writes down _'Aiku pauses.'_

"I mean…" Aiku swallows. "I'm not in a relationship, but I—I like someone, but I wouldn't say we're together—"

"So it's complicated."

"I guess? Kind of? Sort of? Not really? I'm not sure? I guess?"

Haruhi just goes ahead and writes a tally inside the 'ITS COMPLICATED' box. Aiku just sags and whimpers pathetically.

Kaoru finishes off a line and scoffs. Under his breath, he says, "No wonder Kasa's not getting any luck. This guy is a train wreck."

Haruhi and Aiku round a corner. Kaoru and Kosuke are left in the blind for a moment, not risking breaking into a jog to chase them. Kosuke takes advantage of the time to zoom in her camera lens.

As they walk, Kosuke whispers from the corner of her mouth. "Hold on. This may be going somewhere."

Haruhi flips to another sheet on the clipboard. Aiku sees it and pales, probably having thought that he was going to get off easy. Now there's a whole new page just for the 'IT'S COMPLICATED' choice.

Haruhi reads, "Can you explain how the relationship is 'complicated'?"

Aiku is crashing like a computer, and Kosuke and Kaoru both see it. He starts to sweat, his eyes flickering around, his lips trembling as if not sure what syllable to say first. Kaoru just sighs with sympathy for the poor guy. Looking down to his notes, he writes _'Aiku is about to lose it.'_ Kosuke tilts her camera up again.

After several seconds of no answer, Haruhi tries to give Aiku a nudge. "Are you guys taking a break?"

"No, we're not."

"Are you fighting?"

"We aren't together, we're…um…"

"Do you like each other, but aren't really—"

" _I don't KNOW!"_

Haruhi jumps back from the sudden, burning fire that is Aiku Magenu. He has burst, arms throwing into the air, eyes wide, sweat over his skin. His voice, cracking on the last word, not so furious as much as desperate, echoes throughout the hall. Kosuke snaps a picture as she jumps. Everyone passing by in the hallway has stopped and stared. Conversations cut short, books are dropped. A couple preparing to kiss instead throw their arms around each other as if to protect them.

Kosuke and Kaoru just stare at the pair, too, before slowly looking at each other. Kosuke follows Kaoru's pencil as it goes to the notepad.

' _Aiku lost it.'_

Aiku slowly pulls himself back together. He sets his glasses straight and takes a deep breath. Haruhi keeps her clipboard close to her chest and does not step closer to him.

Aiku speaks in a clipped, slow voice. "I. Don't. Know."

Haruhi just clicks her tongue and goes to the next question. "So…How long have you known this person?"

"Childhood? Like, ten years? Maybe more?"

Haruhi scribbles it down. "On a scale of one-to-ten, with one being poor and ten being fantastic, how would you describe your relationship with them?"

"Um…Nine, I guess? Maybe ten. We're all good, it's just…"

He trails off, unsure.

Haruhi tries to fill in the blank. "There's a problem you're not really addressing?"

"Yeah, yeah! Like that."

Kaoru leans over to Kosuke and murmurs, "You getting anything from this?"

Kosuke shrugs. "Not sure. He seemed way more composed when he was actually with Kasa, but if he won't be specific, I don't know how this is—"

Kaoru puts a hand against her mouth, muffling her. She didn't know that Haruhi had gone to the next question already.

"In one sentence—just one—could you explain how the relationship is complicated?"

He takes a deep breath.

"We're friends, but I think there's something…else between us."

Haruhi nods and writes it down.

"And…"

Haruhi keeps writing.

"Like…I want to say I'm not the only one who notices it but I can't be sure. She's always been really comfortable joking around and hugging me or whatever, but I don't know if she's joking or if she's being serious, because she's never gone further than that. She hasn't been with any other guy before, but I don't know if that means anything or if I'm just projecting because I haven't dated a girl before either because I like _her_ but I can't just assume that's her case as well—"

Kaoru is writing so fast the words are now intelligible scratches. Smoke rises from the paper.

"—I try to do things for her all the time, but it always backfires—like, the other day, I got her a charm for her phone, but she already got one. We've known each other for a long time so if there's anything there, she would have probably done something by now. And now it's getting even _more_ complicated because she's been acting really weird lately and I don't know why, but when I ask her about it, she says it's nothing. Now she's really snippy about everything and I feel like she's angry at me, but I don't know why, and I worried I screwed something up but I don't know how to fix what I don't know and she keeps saying 'It's fine, Aiku', 'Just leave me alone, Aiku,' and I'm trying to tell her, 'Kasa, everything is obviously not fine'—"

Haruhi cuts him off with two short syllables.

"Kasa?"

His lips pucker like he's gulped down a lemon. Kosuke takes a picture of it. Kaoru finally stops writing with a sigh and a cramped hand.

Aiku is staring at Haruhi with the most horrified green eyes. Like he's just slipped the most classified information to a spy. Haruhi, luckily, does not look smug, which might have freaked him out more. She just watches him, as if silently saying _'What's the big deal?'_

His voice comes out so quietly that Kosuke and Kaoru almost don't hear him. "Please don't tell anyone."

Haruhi shrugs. "Wasn't planning on it."

Aiku nods just once. He licks his lips. "Do you have any other questions?"

"That should be it. Thanks for helping."

They nod to one another, and Haruhi turns around. She walks over to Kaoru and Kosuke, and all three of them turn around. Haruhi clicks her pen and tucks it away into her pocket.

"Hey!"

Kosuke and Kaoru duck behind a corner together. Aiku has turned around and called out to Haruhi, and the last thing they need is him thinking Haruhi just gossiped to the first people she saw.

Haruhi calls back, "Yes?"

"You're a member of the Host Club, right?"

"Yeah."

"Um…Has…Has Kasano Banaritai ever been in there?"

Haruhi flickers her eyes to Kosuke and Kaoru. Kosuke is shaking her head, making an 'X' with her hands, but Kaoru is nodding in encouragement. Kosuke elbows him, and he grunts, but shakes his head at Haruhi.

"No."

Haruhi is generally just good at reading people, but she doesn't have to be to know that Aiku is relieved. He sighs and smiles and relaxes as if his muscles were knit together like wire. When he waves at Haruhi, it's with the most blissful expression she's seen on him. He turns away, and he walks down the hall with a bounce in his step

* * *

 **You know what I just noticed?**

 _ **What?**_

 **The really weird cherub statues in the fountains.** ಠ **_** ಠ

 _ **How r they weird? That's what chrbs look lik, rght?**_

 **Yeah, but usually they aren't depicted doing that.**

 _ **Doing what?**_

 **[SENDING PICTURE…]**

 _ **Oh.**_

 **Yeah.**

 _ **i guess ive been gng here so long i jst sbcnscsly ignored them**_

 **Because that's the glrs image I want to see when I go to school.  
A naked child peeing into a fountain. (** **ﾉ◕ヮ◕** **)** **ﾉ** ***:** **･ﾟ✧** **✧ﾟ･** **: *** **ヽ** **(** **ヮ◕ヽ** **)**

 _ **Glrs?**_

 **KIND OF HARD TO UNDERSTAND, ISN'T IT?**

Kasa's sharp exclamation pulls Kosuke away from her phone. "He did not!"

"Kasa, I _swear_ he said your name."

Kasa's fingers curl. She's not meeting Haruhi's eyes, instead more intent to burn a hole into the table with her eyes. "Maybe he said someone else's name and you just misheard them."

Kaoru pipes up from behind Haruhi. "I don't think it's possible for three people to mishear the same thing."

"Yes, it is!"

Kosuke and Kaoru look at each other. Kaoru seems more annoyed, but Kosuke is just confused.

She shrugs. "'Casino Ban-a-Red-Tie'?"

He shrugs back. "'Cosmo Been-a-Read-Eye?'"

Kasa growls, so they shut up.

Haruhi leans back in her chair. She crosses her arms over her chest, but she's not angry. Kasa isn't either, but it's hard to tell what she _is_. She's stiff and her eyes are darting all over the table.

"Shouldn't you be happy?" asks Haruhi. "I thought this is what you wanted to hear."

"No, it's not!" Kasa's manicured fingernails dig into her scalp. It makes an audible scratch, and Kosuke flinches. "I don't want to hear that he's scared. He didn't do anything wrong; I wasn't trying to blow him off or anything, I was just—"

Kosuke speaks up, raising a finger. "Shouldn't you be telling _him_ this?"

"I can't. Then he'll know that you guys told me!"

Kaoru throws his hands into the air. "So we've walked ourselves into a trap. Perfect."

The door opens. Tamaki, Kyoya, Hani, and Mori step inside while murmuring to themselves. The Host Club will be in business in just fifteen minutes. It's still just the six of them, seven if Renge's omnipresence is counted. They all seem to notice this. Tamaki sighs, Kyoya's lips curl. Mori and Hani look at one another.

Kaoru was watching the door with something like hope, but now he just turns back to Kasa with pursed lips.

Tamaki comes to them. He watches Kasa warily. "What's the verdict?"

"Well," says Kosuke. She twiddles her fingers together. "Aiku said he _does_ like Kasa."

Tamaki's eyes light up like violet fireworks. He claps his hands together and sings, "Yes!"

" _But_ he doesn't know if she feels the same way."

The fireworks dim a bit, but the smile lingers. "Okay!"

"Now he's worried that Kasa's angry with him because of how she's been acting."

The smile falls. "Oh."

"Kasa can't tell him otherwise because then he'll know we talked to her about it."

Tamaki's shoulders slump forward. "Oh _no."_

Kasa throws her hands into the air. She falls back in her chair like she's just entirely given up on life. The tea undrunk in her cup sloshes around the lip.

"This is all my fault," she whines. She covers her face behind her hands, muffling her voice. "I took it too far. I kept this going on for _ten years!_ I pulled other people into it, which only made things _worse,_ and worried so much over screwing everything up that I ended up screwing everything up! Anything that we had—down the drain."

Kaoru scoffs, though not meanly. He steps around Haruhi's chair and leans on the table. Even though Kasa's eyes are still behind her hands, he stares at her face with narrowed eyes.

"Come on, now," he says. "Are you going to give up, or are you going to actually try and make things right?"

"Give up."

And with that, Kasa slumps out of her chair and onto the floor. She lies there in a sad, heartbroken heap.

Kaoru, staring down at her unmoving body, hums. "That backfired."

Kyoya walks over to them. His eyes are trained on the hands of his wristwatch, and he sighs. He looks them all over with unamused charcoal eyes. "We're open in ten minutes. What's taking so long?"

Kosuke takes a deep breath.

"Aiku likes Kasano like we thought, but for the past ten years, he was unsure if she felt the same way and now it's more complicated because Kasano's behavior has led him to believe that she's upset with him, but the problem is that now that he's told that to Haruhi, if Kasano confronts him to set things right, he'll know that she came to the Host Club, which we told him she _doesnotdo!"_

The last words come out in a breathless choke. Kosuke gulps for air. Kaoru gives her an encouraging pat on the back, but Kyoya just stares.

He clicks his tongue. "I don't know if this will make things better or worse, but Aiku already knows Kasano has been here."

Kasa perks up from her sadness-induced coma to grumble, "What?"

Kyoya crosses his arms over his chest and continues, "As it turns out, Mister Magenu and I share a class together. Said class includes customers of ours that were present yesterday. They started talking about the Host Club, one thing led to another, and they told Aiku that Miss Banaritai visited us."

Tamaki grimaces. "How did he react? Did he look sad?"

"Well, he didn't fall to the floor and start crying, but I believe I saw the life drain from his eyes."

The Kasa-shaped blob on the floor groans. She's starting to sink into the floor, and Kosuke is starting to think that no amount of encouragement is going to help her.

"Okay, so…" Haruhi hesitates. She twiddles her thumbs together. "Now there's nothing holding you back from talking to him."

The Kasa-blob just makes an "uh-uh" sound.

Hani blows a raspberry. Pouting, he asks everyone, "Any idea what to do now?"

They all stand there for a moment, brainstorming, but they're drawing blanks. Another setup would look too suspicious, Aiku doesn't seem to have the courage to talk to Kasa himself, and the thing on the floor wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Kosuke figures that one of them could just go tell Aiku how Kasa felt, but that's not how feelings are to be handled. This is supposed to be personal, not a group project, even if that's what it has become.

Kosuke sighs. Her head is starting to physically hurt from thinking so hard. "I can't think of any way to dodge around it anymore. You guys saw how happy he was when Kasa said she wasn't here with us."

Kaoru sighs. "I thought he was going to break into song."

With one hand in his hair, Tamaki turns to Kosuke. His voice is laced with exhaustion. "Kosuke, think back. Did you notice anything else when they were together?"

"What do you mean?"

"Anything odd? Anything uncharacteristic?"

"I don't…Oh!"

Kosuke claps her hands together. Everyone leans in closer, wide-eyed and expectant. Kyoya looks down at his watch again. Five more minutes.

Kosuke continues, "I did notice that when Aiku asked another girl for help, Kasa got really defensive. _Really."_

"How so?"

"Snake-hair and demon eyes."

Tamaki nods. "I'm familiar."

Kaoru shrugs. He's beginning to lose his patience. "So what? How does that help?"

They're all in the dark, but something is brewing in Tamaki's mind. His eyes flicker vacantly around him, head tipping to the side, chin in his fingers. As before, it's like waiting for results from a machine. Kyoya is still watching the clock.

Tamaki steps around everyone and goes to what remains of Kasa. It's half-sunken into the floor, slowly graying into ashy misery. Tamaki just kneels beside, crossing his arms over his knees.

"Kasa, have you given up?"

The thing says "ah-hah."

"You're not going to try anymore? No more fighting, no more waiting?"

It grunts "nuh-uh."

"Don't you know what that means?"

Since its mouth is now beginning to sink beneath the tiles, it just makes a guttural sound in its throat.

"It means you've left him open."

The thing does not react. It doesn't understand.

"So…" Tamaki drags the words out. "That means any girl can now confess their feelings to him without hindrance."

The air goes cold.

The thing in the floor has gone dead silent, one white eye staring up at Tamaki with horrified denial. Tamaki just nods somberly.

There's an audible _POP,_ and Kasano is standing before them once again. She's invigorated with new life. Her colors are bright; energy is spilling off of her. Her hair looks like platinum flames. Her eyes are burning white-hot as she thrusts a hand into the pocket of her skirt.

She pulls out her phone and punches in a number without once glancing at the screen.

There's a ring. Two rings.

" _Hello?"_

Her voice is low, guttural, and dangerous. _"Meet me. In front of the Ouran Host Club. Five minutes."_

* * *

It doesn't take long—thankfully, without the bone-rattling stampede this time—for the customers to fill up the room once again. The Hosts trickle away to tend to their respective stations. Outside the doors, Kasa is waiting, arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently on the floor. She's glaring down the hall, waiting for a glimpse of Aiku, three minutes late.

Kosuke can see her from behind the doors. Kasa is as rigid as a rock, ready to burst. Kosuke considers going out to comfort her, but another part of her keeps her hidden. She's scared to approach her, and she's scared for Aiku.

Speak of the devil; he finally appears at the end of the hall. He still has a bundle of papers in his hand and shuffles them while he walks. His eyes are trained on them at first, but slowly, they lift up to Kasa.

He sees her folded arms, the taught shoulders, the clenched jaw. He doesn't stop, but his steps slow down. He doesn't look back at the papers.

It takes what feels like a very long time for him and Kasa to finally stand apart from each other. She's swapped out tapping her foot for drumming her fingers on her arm. Aiku's eyes are flickering from them to her face. It's difficult to place his expression—somewhere between confused, concerned, and afraid.

"Hi…?" he finally murmurs.

"Hi" is returned in one cold, clipped syllable.

He tries again. "Is something wrong…?"

Another cold, clipped syllable. "Yes."

He pauses. "Are you going to tell me what it is?"

"Do I have to?"

The confusion/concern/fear on Aiku's melts away. He fixes Kasa with a flat glare. _"Yes. You do."_

Kasa throws her hands into the air with a scoff. It only makes Aiku's glare flatter.

"Oh my _god,_ " Kasa all but growls. "I've been trying to be so clear about everything and it keeps flying over your head! You keep assuming and misunderstanding and I'm over here about to tear my hair out because—Where are you going?"

In the middle of her tirade, Aiku has turned on his heel and has started walking away. When Kasa calls after him, he turns back, anger tightening his face together.

"Away," he answers. His voice dips lower in his frustration. "I don't know what's going on, and I'm not just going to stand here and let you yell at me for it."

He turns away again, and Kasa darts after him. She windmills her arms, calling "Wait, wait! No!" until Aiku finally stops. But she doesn't slow down, and ends up skidding to a stop, grabbing a hold of his arms to keep him there. Papers flutter down to the floor.

"I'm not mad at _you,_ " she stresses. "I'm mad at something else and taking it _out_ on you!"

Aiku doesn't say anything.

"That's…That's not much better, is it?"

Aiku slowly shakes his head.

Kasa lowers her head with a loud, long sigh, white-gold hair spilling into a curtain around her face. She keeps her hands on his arms, and Aiku just watches her, confusion rising again. He glances around the hallway.

"This is literally the worst way this could have gone down," grumbles Kasa. "I'm so stupid. Stupid, stupid."

Aiku steps back from her. Kasa's hands fall back to her, but she keeps her head down. Aiku bends down to see her face better.

"What are you talking about?" he asks. "What is 'this'?"

"I'm not mad at you," she sighs. Her voice is dead, but her eyes flicker to him. "And I'm not hanging out at the Host Club."

Aiku's brows knit together. Slowly, he raises a finger to the Ouran Host Club's doors, not twenty feet away.

"I'm _not,_ " Kasa repeats. She stands tall once again, and Aiku does the same. They're not taking their eyes off each other. "I went there to get advice. But that just made things worse."

"'Things'…"

Kasa fumbles for her words. She struggles to keep her voice down, starting and cutting off syllables, and finally just takes a deep breath and curls her hand into a fist. She lets out a deep sigh that deflates her whole body.

"Isn't it obvious by now?" she says. Her eyes are cast down to the floor, her voice quiet. "How I feel?"

For the longest stretch of time, Aiku says nothing. She can feel his eyes on her, burning a hole between her eyes, but she refuses to meet them. A cold chill is creeping over her skin in the silence. Her knees feel weak.

Finally, "Oh."

And goodness if she knows how she's supposed to feel about that. Was that a glad "oh"? Was he happy about this? He sounded like he was taking it in, but he could be happy about it…unless that was a sort of caught-in-the-headlights "Oh." Because he said he liked her, at least to other people, but she didn't hear that herself, so maybe those feelings had just waned away because of her attitude. And maybe she ruined any chance she had because of this mess and—

"You want me to leave you alone. Because you think I'm too clingy."

Aiku, too, has cast his eyes down to the floor. He keeps speaking, never noticing the expression of utter _are-you-kidding-me_ on Kasa's face.

"I get it," he murmurs. "Someone told you I got upset that you were at the Host Club and you think I'm being too clingy. I'm always too clingy. I wish you would have just told me, but now I know. So—"

A hand is snatched from his papers, jolting him into reality. Kasa drops down on one knee. Aiku watches her wide-eyed, baffled, but any words he might have formed are drowned out in her gaze. It's fiery, determined, almost angry but not fearsome. Her grip lightens, her other hand coming to tenderly hold his fingers between hers.

She takes a deep breath. "I looooooooo—"

Aiku's eyebrows shoot up.

"— _ooooiiiike_ you. I have since we were children. I tried to make it obvious, but instead of just saying it, I left it all up to you. I'm sorry I made such a big problem out of it and I'm sorry I've made you feel so bad for no reason. I still like you. And _apparently_ you like me, but if that's changed, fine. I can't force you to feel a certain way. Just…give me some kind of answer?"

Her gaze has been downcast, a small but sad smile coming to her lips, but now she raises them up to Aiku.

He still has one arm holding his papers tight to his chest, his other hand still held in Kasa's hands. His green eyes are as big as saucers, lips parted as he stares down at Kasa's face. A pink flush has taken over his cheeks. He's not moving an inch, not even blinking. He may not be breathing.

Kasa frowns. "Aiku?"

He doesn't reply.

"Um…okay, how about—Do you like me? Nod if yes, shake if no."

He nods.

A genuine smile, a blissful, adoring smile, lights up Kasa's face like starlight. She stands to her feet once again. She looks like she wants to hug Aiku, kiss him, sweep him off of his feet and spin around in a circle. But she's content to just keep holding his hand for now. Aiku is still recovering, though, and even though his eyes are looking at Kasa, they are glazed over in dumbstruck disbelief.

Kasa timidly asks, "So…are we dating now? Officially?"

Aiku nods.

She squeals in delight. Aiku grunts as he's pulled against her, face mashed into her shoulder, while she squeezes him tight enough to make him wheeze. She doesn't notice, though, and just rubs her cheek against his untidy orange hair. She's on her tiptoes.

Aiku slowly gets a hold of himself, blinking slowly. His arms hesitate around her at first, but eventually, he holds her to him as well. A little smile lifts up his mouth, and he rests his head against hers. He runs a hand up and down her back comfortingly.

"Aw…"

Their eyes fly open, Kasa's in an instant glare. Aiku pulls away from her and turns around.

Kosuke snaps her jaw shut after her little exclamation. Aiku and Kasa are still staring at her, and slowly, lips pursed, she reaches out and pulls the door shut.

* * *

 **To:** Okie-Dokie  
 **So I guess it all worked out in the end.  
May their romance be blessed with communication and understanding.** **(** **ﾉ◕ヮ◕** **)** **ﾉ** ***:** **･ﾟ✧** **✧ﾟ･** **: *** **ヽ** **(** **ヮ◕ヽ** **)**

 **From:** Okie-Dokie  
 _ **that is so sweeeeet! 3  
i dont even know these people but i want them to be happy together~**_

 **You're such a romantic.  
Any chance in romance over there?**

 _ **hardly. The only chance i get to hang out with boys is outside of school, which is almost never.**_

 **That stinks. -_-**

 _ **what about you?  
you talked to those Host Club guys, right?  
thats four options right there (B-)**_

 **I dunno.**

 _ **well if anything changes you gotta tell me.**_

 **I will.**

 _ **you deserve to be happy. really.**_

 **I know.**

 _ **okay well i should go ahead and hit the hay.**_

 **Already? It's only nine-thirty.**

 _ **yeah but these dance routines are TOUGH.  
almost fell asleep during practice yesterday ;-_-**_

 **Well I'm not going to harm your health.  
Goodnight, sleep tight, everything's gonna be alright.** (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ

 _ **lol what?**_

Kosuke huffs a laugh and sets her phone aside. She should really be working on her first report for class, but she's always kind of put the 'pro' in procrastination. At least it isn't due for another week.

"Hey, Kosuke?"

She looks over her shoulder. Renge is once again cross-legged in the middle of the floor, controller in her hand, television casting her in Technicolor light. She looks fine and healthy, but the miniature mountain of soda cans and chip bags around her tells a different story.

"Can I get one of your Ramunes from the fridge?" she asks.

"Yes, but if you end up going into a sugar comatose, I'm not carrying you to your bed."

"Deal."

She springs up and darts out of the room to the kitchen, leaving a gust of chip crumbs behind her. Somehow, not even a half-second after she's left, Kosuke can hear the refrigerator door being pulled open.

Kosuke just turns back to her laptop and drums her fingers over the keyboard. She rereads the paragraphs she's already written and sighs. She cups her chin in her hands.

"Where was I going with this?"

Her phone vibrates again.

 _ **From: Dad**_ _  
_ _ **Hey, sweetie. How was your day?**_

 **Okie-dokie-artichoke-y. Kind of tiring.**

 _ **Tell me about it.  
Had to inspect 5 locations today.**_

 **They pass?**

 _ **2 were good, 1 was kind of slow on service, another microwaved their food, and Im pretty sure the last one had a rat infestation.**_

 **Bet that was fun. O_O**

 _ **A joy. An absolute joy.**_

 **Wasn't there a time where you found out they kept rat poison and ingredients in the same cabinet?**

 _ **Yeah that was a dark day. Extermination, meetings, a few people got fired.  
On a brighter note—Lily Bowl Hibachi may soon exist.**_

 **((O_O)) YES PLEASE.**

 _ **We already have possible locations made. Now it's all a matter of meetings.**_

 ***Heavy breathing.***

 _ **I'll keep you updated ;)  
Busy?**_

 **Trying and failing to work on a report…** ಥ **_** ಥ

 _ **Then I'll leave you be.  
Hey text your mother sometime so she won't feel left out, K?**_

 **K.**

 _ **Love you.**_

 **Love you, too 3**

She looks back at her report while Renge returns to her seat. She still doesn't know where to go from here…she kind of wishes her phone would just keep vibrating so she could have some kind of excuse to take a break.

Her phone vibrates.

"Yay."

 **From:** Unknown number  
 _ **hey r u okay with brngng my my phn tmrrw?**_

 **Sure! Just tell me what time and where.**

 _ **4, outside fshn clssrm?**_

 **Got it!  
Have you been busy lately? Is that why you've had to put it off?**

 _ **Yeah. I stppd by 4 bsnss mngmnt class on Friday but thngs came up after that**_

 **Gotcha. College life is hectic.** ಠ~ಠ

 _ **Been busy?**_

 **Helped 2 people figure out their communication/romance problems, which took about five days.**

 _ **well arent u just a lil Cupid**_

 **The lil-est.** **(** **ღ** **ღ** **)**

 _ **well I guess ill see u tmrrw  
gnight**_

 **Good night, sleep tight, everything's going to be alright.** (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ

 _ **that means a lot thank u.**_

* * *

Kosuke has to ask for directions to the Fashion Design classroom the next day, but to her fortune, it ends up only a corner and five doors away from the Ouran Host Club. She really is trying to memorize the layout of the University as best as she can, but it's hard to do that between more than two hundred classrooms in more than one building.

She curls the end of her side-tail around her finger while she fiddles with her camera. Her photography teacher had asked the students to practice with lighting effects, and she's not sure which one she should turn in. This one is subtle, this one is dramatic, this one is black and white, this one is in color…She'd asked Renge for her opinion last night, but all she'd said was "they're all nice". Which was polite, but unhelpful…

Something that Kosuke has noticed all day is the odd chattering some students were going on about. She never caught a name, but someone had apparently returned to classes after a lengthy absence. Most people were ecstatic, some curious, some concerned. Kosuke considered for a bit that they may have just been talking about Kaoru, but it would be late news, if that's the case. It never came up to her, so she hasn't questioned it.

The door of the fashion design classroom opens, and students begin to file out. Kosuke's leaning against the wall, so she stands up straight and watches them pass. It occurred to her then that she had failed to ask this person for their name or gender or any kind of identifying information, but since they're expecting her, they'll probably notice her waiting.

She opens her satchel and tucks camera inside. The person's phone is shoved down deep inside, so she has to really dig down to get it. Maybe she shouldn't have done this, but at least there's nothing sticky or liquid in there…

As she's digging, a pair of dress shoes steps into her vision. She looks up.

"Oh!"

Kaoru jumps a bit, surprised. His amber eyes are wide and expectant, and the hands stuffed into his pants pockets stiffen. He doesn't seem happy or amused that it's her, though Kosuke isn't just going to assume things.

Curiously enough, he's dyed his hair since the last time Kosuke saw him. Hair that was a soft strawberry blond just yesterday is now a rich chestnut color. He'd apparently used it on his eyebrows, too. He's gotten a bit of a cut, too, his hair still boyishly messy but now a bit sleeker, and defined the ends, too. It suits him, Kosuke thinks.

She laughs aloud, and Kaoru's brows knit together.

"This is so weird, isn't it?" she chuckles. "I can't believe we were hanging out together and the whole time, _I_ was the person who had your phone…What a coinkydink."

Kaoru doesn't reply.

"I like your hair, though. Very…" She twiddles her fingers. " _Slick._ By the way, consider yourself lucky. Usually, when I have my hair re-dyed, I have to deal with stains and weird hairlines and all that."

Kosuke reaches up and brushes his bangs back from his forehead with her fingertips. His eyes flutter in surprise, but he doesn't lean away from her touch. She hadn't noticed before, but he had pretty long eyelashes.

"But _you_ got off scot-free. So either you got an insanely good hairdresser or you sold your soul to the devil."

Kaoru still doesn't reply. He's looking past her wrist to stare at her face with the same unreadable expression.

Kosuke tilts her hand up, pushing his bangs back a bit more, so she can see him a bit better. She wants to say he looks confused, or maybe baffled. Maybe he doesn't like it when new people get too physical with him? She lets her hand drop to her side.

"You okay?" she asks.

Kaoru's eyes flicker left-to-right, like he's missing some kind of joke. His jaw is clenching and unclenching. "Um…yes?"

Kosuke frowns. Wasn't Kaoru's voice kind of light and scratchy? She thought it was. Now his voice is deeper, smoother. If he's lowering his voice on purpose, he's doing it fantastically.

"Are you okay, Kaoru? Why are you talking like that?" Another thought comes to her head. "Wait a second, if you were the one texting me, how were you doing that when I was standing right beside you?"

"I'm…not Kaoru."

Kosuke blinks at him.

"What?" she says.

"Hey, Kosuke!"

She leans around Kaoru—Kaoru?—to look down the hallway behind him.

Kaoru— _Kaoru?!_ –is walking towards her, waving a hand and giving a friendly smile. This is definitely the Kaoru she remembers, with the strawberry blonde hair and the uniquely scratchy voice. But then…Who was the dark-haired Kaoru standing in front of her?

The… _true_ Kaoru(? Kosuke doesn't know anymore) speaks as he walks to her, "Hey, we wanted to know if you wanted to come to the Host Club today so…"

His voice trails off when his dark-haired copy turns around.

Identical amber eyes stare each other down, and the air stales around them. Kaoru drops his hand. The other remains as still as stone. The similarities between them are uncanny. They have the same lips, the same long eyelashes, the same _ears._ They're the same height and they have the same build. The dark-haired Kaoru has a bit of a worse posture, but he's straightening up as he and Kaoru keep their eyes locked on one another.

Kosuke could keep going on about how they are each other's reflection, but the tension sucks the thoughts from her head. Just as she had felt two days prior, a long-lasting weight has fallen on them. She can see an electric spark charged between the two of them.

Kaoru comes forward. His footsteps are as loud as gunshots in the deadly silence. He walks until he's halfway between Kosuke and his reflection, creating a triangle between the three of them.

"So," he says. His eyes drift from the brunet to Kosuke, and she's struck by how cold they are. "I guess you've met my brother?"

The brunet raises a thin eyebrow at Kosuke. Both of them are staring at her now, curious but cold. They're waiting for her to say something.

But all she can muster is the most awkward and stupid "Uhhhhhhh…?"


	7. You guys won't guess what this is

Okay, so uh...I know it's been a long wait, because guess what? This is getted revamped again. Because I'm indecisive and can't map out stories for the life of me, but I finally did it this time! Hopefully.

Again, so sorry for the wait, but I really appreciate all the support. I'm honestly surprised some of you guys just haven't given up on me at this point.

I'm creating this as a chapter because in this revamp, the first two or so chapters will be pretty similar to what they are now, with the third-onwards chapters being different. has that whole "one-review-per-chapter" function, so I think it would be better to just create it as a new story.

The downside to this being that there's also the rule that stories have to be unique from each other. I could be misinterpreting this, but if I'm not, just know that this story might be deleted within three or so days of this being posted.

I very much look forward to this new story and where it goes, and how you guys will enjoy it. I appreciate all of you.


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